


Monsoon

by runawaycartoonist



Series: Monsoon [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Adventure, Awkward Romance, Body Horror, Car Chases, I'll add more tags as i go, LGBT characters, Mad Science, Mayhem, Murder, Mutants, Nihilism, Other, Road Trips, Substance Abuse, Torture, non-binary characters, sci fi, shoot-outs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-24
Updated: 2016-11-26
Packaged: 2018-08-24 08:10:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 26
Words: 79,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8364532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/runawaycartoonist/pseuds/runawaycartoonist
Summary: Akio is a scientist working at a genetics company called Monsoon. Everything seems to be nice, safe, normal and boring until he hears noises in the basement.Ryan is a teenage hacker who's been on his own for far too long, but he has a plan to fix that.Levitan is a prisoner. It's been that way for a while, and they didn't see any way out of this situation... until now.





	1. Noises from Underground

**Author's Note:**

> Akio Sato's working late and he hears strange noises down in the basement...
> 
> Warnings: violence, substance abuse mention, and mad science.
> 
> A/N: Hey, if you're one of my followers coming here from reading Car Thief, I'm sure you'll enjoy this. I love comments, shoot me one if you have two seconds!

It was quiet in the lab. Akio Sato sat at his desk, filling out numbers on sheets and calculating chemical ratios regarding plant hormones. It was getting on pretty late, past nine o’clock, so the lab was mostly empty. The only light was his desk lamp.

Mitch came up to his desk and tapped on it. “Alright there, buddy?”

“Yeah, yeah,” said Akio hastily, straightening his spine. He subtly reached under his goggles and glasses to scratch an itch under his eye. “Why?”

“You stay late all the damn time,” said Mitch, his hands in his pockets. “You ever go out or something?”

Well, he usually went out to the bar after he left work at ten o’clock and got completely hammered, but he’d learned during his time in America that most people here thought that was unhealthy. “Uh, sometimes.”

“Alright, pal, just… take it easy, hey?”

“Yeah, sure. Thanks.”

Mitch gave him a casual two-fingered salute as he turned and walked towards the front desk so he could punch out.

The lab was somewhat spacious. There were tables covered in test-tubes, vials, and notes. Whiteboards lined the walls, blocking most of the natural light from entering the room during the day. The air smelled faintly of chemicals, and the floors were concrete.

Akio was the only person left. He reached for the vial of isopropyl alcohol, but his aim was a little bit off due to his grogginess. The vial slipped from his fingers and smashed onto the floor.

Akio stared at it for a few moments. He blinked. Then, the alcohol began to seep towards his shoes and he quickly pulled his feet away. He sighed, picked up the largest pieces of glass, tossed them in the trash, mopped up the mess, and swept up the shards.

It had been a very long week. He dug through the cabinet under his desk to find some more alcohol, but he couldn’t find the bottle.

“Fuck.” He groaned. He snapped his gloves off, tossed them onto his desk, and removed his goggles. He rubbed his eyes under his glasses. “The hell do they keep it?”

He nosed around the lab, but he didn’t have the keys to the cabinets of his coworkers. The communal cabinet didn’t have any left. There must be some more down in storage.

The lights rarely worked, so he grabbed the massive flashlight that was kept on top of the cabinet before he proceeded down the stairs.

The lights flickered. The flashlight was heavy in his hand. The stairs were _long,_ this staircase went all the way down to the boilers and heating systems. He’d been told that there was a rat problem, and that had been more than enough to keep him out of there.

He stepped into the walk-in closet and winced. It smelled _really_ strong in here, it almost made his eyes burn. He finally found what he was looking for, right at the back of the bottom shelf.

Then he heard a scream.

It was faint, far away. It was a scream of pain and terror. It made him falter. He slowly replaced the bottle. The lights went out.

Akio turned on the flashlight and stepped out onto the staircase.

There it was, again. The muffled scream. It made him shudder.

It was coming from down the stairs.

Akio trembled. His instinct was to run, he was not the type who would fair well in a combat situation… but his curiosity was overwhelming. He had to find out what was going on. Besides, what if someone was in trouble? He could call the police or something.

He tiptoed down the stairs. Even though his footsteps were light, they echoed in the concrete stairwell.

He got to the bottom of the staircase. The door was _massive,_ thicker than a door to the janitorial section should be. It was card access.

Akio swiped his card. It was declined.

He examined the door and he realized that it was cracked open a tiny bit, barely an inch. He gave it a gentle push, and the massive door swung slowly open inwards.

He could hear footsteps, and voices speaking in busy murmurs. He slowly slipped inside, and he found himself in a bright white hallway. The floor was still concrete, but something felt distinctly _off_ about this place. The boiler and heating ducts were supposed to be here.

Where was he?

He walked slowly down the long hallway. He began to realize that this portion of the building far exceeded the upstairs departments where he worked. The current hallway he was in had at least twenty doors, each of which had windows that let him peer down into even longer hallways. The doors were all labelled with things like “ _Bio-Mechanics Department_ ”, “ _Nanotechnology Department_ ”, and “ _Experimental Surgical Procedures_ ”.

Experimental surgery? Akio swallowed the lump in his throat. This had to be a dream. There was no way in hell that this could be real.

He could hear voices coming from the hallways. He quickly hurried past, he wasn’t supposed to be down here. What was he _doing?_ He could get in so much trouble.

He heard another scream, but it was different from the first two that he had heard. This wasn’t one made from fear or pain, it was one of _anger._

“ _You sons of bitches! Come near me and I’ll rip your fucking guts out!_ ”

The voice was coming from behind the most formidable looking door in the hallway. It was labelled “ _Genetic Engineering._ ”

“ _Yeah, you better run you motherfuckers! Go tell your piss-ass little friends that if they touch me I’m gonna-_ ” The rest of it was muffled from footsteps racing down the hallway from behind the door, towards Akio.

Akio panicked. He pressed himself up against the wall behind the door. It slammed open and two men in labcoats rushed past him.

“... subject still displaying high levels of violence despite sedation, send reinforcements to retrieve…” said one to the other, but their words were lost as they bustled down the hallway. Akio could have sworn that he saw a flash of blood.

Subject?

Akio grabbed the door before it closed and slipped inside.

He gaped at what he saw. The hallway was _massive._ There must be at least fifty doors lining the walls. More hallways branched off from the main one, each one of those must have had a dozen of doors leading into different rooms.

Every door had a number and a tiny window. He passed by numbers twenty, nineteen and eighteen, and he stood on tiptoe to peer through the window.

He hid a gasp. It was a _cell._ A person was sitting on the bed, their head in their hands, wearing a white uniform. There were a few books on the table but otherwise the room was sterile and empty.

He backed away before he saw the scales covering their forearms.

Akio realized that every single one of these doors was a cell. _People_ were being held _prisoner_ at this institution! What the hell? What was he supposed to do? How had he been working here for _six months_ without noticing that something was off?

“ _If I catch any of you little cocksuckers around here, I’ll rip your goddamn heads off! I’ll use your eyeballs to garnish my fucking martini! I’ll strangle you with your own intestines!_ ”

Akio couldn’t stop himself from moving forward, from following the voice. He paced forward, and he realized that the voice was coming from behind one final door at the end of the long hallway. It was bigger than any of the doors he’d seen before. It was solid steel, with a keypad password lock and a bullet-proof window. It almost looked like a vault to a bank.

He stepped up to the window and looked inside.

A person was standing in the centre of the room, holding a jagged and bloodied piece of mirror in their hand. The mirror in their room was smashed, the bed was broken, and there were splatters of blood on the wall and on the floor. They were standing over a corpse in a white labcoat with blood puddling underneath them.

The person whipped around and saw Akio’s horrified look. They smirked and stepped over to the window.

Akio couldn’t tell what gender they were. Their hair was blonde and shaggy, their eyes were grey, and their nose had a broad scar cut across the bridge.

They grinned. “Who’re you?”

“I-I…” he said.

“Pff, I don’t give a fuck.” They tossed the jagged mirror from one hand to the other. “You’re just some punk-ass piece of shit who found me by mistake, ain’tcha?”

“How can you tell?” he asked.

They gave him a look. “You’re terrified. Doy.”

They were right. He was trembling. “What’s… what _is_ all this?”

They rolled their eyes. “Listen, kid. I ain’t about to explain this all to you. I don’t fucking care. Just hear this.” They crooked their finger. “Come closer.”

Akio inched a bit nearer, until his breath fogged the bullet-proof glass.

“You listening?”

“Y-yeah.”

“ _GOOD!_ ” They yelled, slamming their fist on the glass. Akio reeled back. Blood splattered over the window, it was impossible to tell whether it was theirs or their victim’s.

“ _IF I EVER CATCH YOUR ASS NEAR ME AGAIN I’M GONNA FUCKING SHRED YOU, DO YOU HEAR ME?! I’LL GUT YOU LIKE A SOW, I’LL TEAR YOUR THROAT OUT, I’LL PEEL OFF YOUR SKIN INCH... BY... INCH!_ ”

Akio stumbled away from the door and sprinted down the hallway. He could still hear the prisoner screaming behind him.

“ _I’LL KILL YOUR WHOLE FAMILY, DO YOU HEAR ME?! I GOT NOTHIN’ TO LOSE! I’LL RIP YOUR HEART OUT AND FEED IT TO THE RATS WHILE IT’S STILL BEATING! RUN, YOU COWARD, RUN!!!_ ”

Akio booked it up the stairs, slamming the door shut behind him. It was only when he was finally out of the building and into the dark night that their voice finally stopped echoing inside his head.

He stood on the sidewalk outside of his building, leaning against a street lamp. His knees were shaking, and his breath was shallow. The white lights of the company’s logo bleached the darkness with the word “ _Monsoon_ ”.

He shook his head. “ _Fuck,_ I-I need a drink.”

In the haze of the next morning’s hangover, he managed to convince himself that what he saw was all a dream.


	2. A Coward Who Won't

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levitan is underground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: blood, misgendering

White light is harsh, ugly, and cruel. The dried blood stained the floor light brown, and it was a welcome relief to Levitan’s tired eyes.

The room was almost completely bare. Originally, they’d had a small side table, a couple books, notepads, writing utensils, and a private shower. Over the course of their stay here, the room had been completely stripped except for the mattress, the sink, and the toilet. Even the mirror had been removed after last week’s  _ incident. _

Whatever. Not like they needed a mirror to know they looked like shit.

Lev stood by the window to the cell and watched the people in labcoats walk by. They took notes on their clipboards, and they glanced fearfully at Levitan as they moved past their little porthole.

“Yeah, those fuckers  _ better  _ be afraid of me.”

They probably regretted fucking around with them.  _ Good. _

Honestly, Levitan’s sense of time wasn’t the greatest. Days passed and merged into weeks, which merged into months probably, which most likely merged into years. The light always stayed the same down here, at least in their cell. Last time the scientists had dimmed the lights for them to sleep, they’d bitten into their arm and used the blood to write cryptic messages on the wall. “Redrum”, satanic symbols, shit like that. Not because they were crazy or anything, just to fuck with the bastards keeping them there. Seeing their horrified looks was the only entertainment they got, these days.

If Levitan had to take a wild guess at the time, they’d say it was probably later in the day. Not many people were around, and the noise from outside had quieted down a bit. Not as many voices. Not as many screams. The sounds of the machines were quiet and faraway.

They stood there and watched the hallway empty out. It was fairly quiet. They considered going and lying down on their cot for a while, but that was mildly more boring than standing there watching the scientists take notes on their behavior.

Levitan looked down at their hands. Blood was caked under their nails. They knew for a fact that it wasn’t their own blood.

“... and this is Subject Seventeen, one of the most successful case stories of the facility.”

Levitan looked up and grimaced. One of the top scientists, who Levitan knew was named Dr. Roche, seemed to be leading a tour group of newly indoctrinated members of the company. There were about half a dozen people in the group, all wide-eyed and curious.

Except for one.

It was that kid from a few days ago. His eyes were wide behind his glasses, but they were wide with fear rather than curiosity. His bowtie bobbed against his neck when he swallowed. He couldn’t tear his gaze away from Levitan.

Lev knew how this whole process worked. It was simple and fiendish. After all, no one in their right mind would willfully experiment on human beings… at least, not right away. 

The younger scientists were lured in slowly, under the pretense that the only genetic engineering they would be doing was to plants. Then, they moved up to animals. After they were experimenting on chimpanzees, it wasn’t much of leap from ape to human.

They stared through the glass at the tour group. Slowly, they raised their middle finger.

Dr. Roche gave an exasperated sigh. “Subject Seventeen is… very volatile, which is why they’re in this high-security cell. As you can see, its room has been stripped bare.”

Levitan ground their teeth together and bristled.  _ It? _ Had they no dignity left?

“Fuck you, old man,” they snarled.

Dr. Roche didn’t change his facial expression. “Seventeen, please. We are trying to have a civil discussion.”

Levitan raised both middle fingers and brandished them threateningly. “Why should I give a  _ fuck? _ Kiss my ass, you cocksucking, cunt-slurping, asshole-licking piece of shit! If we  _ ever  _ find the two of us on the same side of this wall, I’m  _ comin’  _ for ya!”

Dr. Roche turned back to the group. “As you can see; very volatile.”

The kid still hadn’t looked away from them. He looked vulnerable, like a bunny rabbit in a cage or a little kid who’d just found out there was no such thing as Santa. The tour group moved on down the hallway, chatting and discussing scientific things that were somewhat beyond Levitan’s grade-school understanding of chemistry, but the kid lingered behind for a few moments.

Noise was slightly muffled through the glass, so Levitan couldn’t hear what he said. However, they were very good at reading lips.

“ _ You’re real, _ ” he mumbled.

“Damn right I’m real!” they snarled, slamming their fist into the glass. “I ain’t some fever dream! If you’re here to gawk at me, you can get the  _ fuck  _ out!”

“A-and if I’m not?” he asked, clearly trying to sound braver than he felt.

“Well, if you  _ ain’t,  _ then you can key in some kind’a code that’ll open this fucking door,” they said. “But we both know that ain’t ‘bout to happen. Move along, before I break this glass and break your neck! Don’t think I won’t go for it, I got nothin’ to lose!”

The kid lingered for a moment.

For a split second, Levitan wondered if they’d been too quick to judge. Maybe there was one good person in this whole facility.

“Sato! Are you coming?”

“Be right there!” said the kid. He turned and started to walk away.

Levitan clicked their tongue and went to flop down onto their bed. Typical. There wasn’t anyone with a sense of morals in this whole fucking place.

Lev didn’t see Akio turn back to the cell and stare at the steel door before finally walking away.

 

Akio’s heart refused to slow for the rest of the tour. He was sickened by what he saw, but he felt even  _ worse  _ when he realized that his cohort wasn’t as disturbed by this as they ought to be.

Well, he was the only one who’d moved straight from plant research into human test subjects. The rest of his coworkers had been dabbling in animal subjects for a few months now. They’d all been lured with promises of grant money and prestige for their work, and punished with ridicule and wage cuts whenever they publicly questioned the ethics of what they were doing.

Akio was a coward. He didn’t know the code to Subject Seventeen’s cell. He knew it wouldn’t be difficult to find out. He had the full power and potential to free them.

But Subject Seventeen was right. He wasn’t going to do it.

The Subject seemed dangerous. What was to stop them from butchering him alive as soon as they stepped out of the cell? Plus, they were bound to get caught the second the locks turned off. Akio had too much to lose. He was poised for a promotion, he was finally making a hefty salary, he’d just paid his car off, dammit!

Guilt gnawed in his chest as he climbed back up the stairs.

Yeah. He was a coward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! If you got to the end and you liked it, please indulge me with a kudos or a comment! It would be much appreciated~


	3. McDonalds and Death Threats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryan Reeves has a plan.
> 
> Akio is overly curious.
> 
> Levitan takes no shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: blood and gore mention, gratuitous amounts of fast food.

Ryan Reeves was too young to drive, but he wasn’t the type to believe in limitations like that.

“ _ What can I get you? _ ” asked the voice through the tinny drive-through speaker.

He grabbed the lever and cranked the window off the car down the rest of the way before leaning out towards the speaker. “I’d like two Big Macs, two boxes of twenty-piece Chicken McNuggets, two large fries, and two large cokes.”

“ _ Alright, will that be cash, debit, or credit? _ ”

“Cash.”

“ _ Super, please pay at the next window. _ ”

“Sure thing.” He put his foot onto the gas and rolled forward in line. He was lucky that he was tall for his age, and he prayed that nobody would question why somebody so young was behind the wheel with no adult present. He even deliberately forgot to shave for a few days so he’d have a few hairs on his zitty chin.

He pulled up to the next window.

“That’ll be twenty-five dollars and fourteen cents,” said the bored-looking drive thru attendant.

“Sure, one sec.” Ryan opened his wallet and pulled out his last forty dollars. He passed over the money and held his hand out for change.

“Fourteen dollars and sixteen cents is your change,” said the attendant, handing him the bills and coins.

“Sweet, thanks.” Ryan pulled up to the next window.

“Here you go, kid.” The guy behind the window handed him the bags of food and the drinks.

“Thanks, man.” Ryan dropped the food into the seat next to him.

The guy gave him a once-over, taking in the bags under his eyes, his messy black hair, his too-big raincoat, and the acne on his chin. “Ain’t ya a little  _ young  _ to drive?”

Ryan paused. He looked the drive thru guy up and down. He had greasy hair and didn’t seem to be too much older than Ryan.

“No.”

He hit the gas and drove away.

Smooth.

The traffic was heavy, as it usually was in Brooklyn. Ryan waited patiently at a stoplight, drumming his fingers on the outside door of the car. It was plain and a little beat-up, but it managed in a pinch. He had been tempted to try and get his hands on something big and impressive, maybe a red hot-rod, but he’d begrudgingly decided that a small, inconspicuous car would probably be better for a getaway.

It was late at night. He turned on the radio.

His palms were sweaty and slick against the steering wheel, his heart was pounding, and he felt slightly nauseated. The fast food smelled good, but he knew that he didn’t have the stomach to eat it. His intestines twisted into knots at the  _ thought  _ of eating, right now.

It would probably be cold by the time this operation was done, but it’s not like they could stop for food  _ after  _ they made the getaway. The two of them would probably want to eat after a busy night of getaways.

Ryan pulled up onto the curb in front of the building. He hopped out of the car, put a few quarters into the parking machine, and climbed into the flattened-out back seat.

He had two laptops, a radio, headphones, and a pair of crossed fingers to get him through this mission. The wires on the laptops were exposed, the fans hummed loudly,  and the screen on one of them was cracked along one side. These laptops had been built by hand, Macgyvered together out of two old TVs, a 1990s PC, a microwave, five iphones, and an MP3 player, all scrounged from a San Francisco e-waste dump.

The radio was a normal radio, but it was an old model. It had only taken a little bit of modification to make it into a handy-dandy police scanner.

Ryan turned on the radio. He twisted the knob until the static faded into voices discussing a convenience store break-in. That sounded like a good time, to him, but he was a little bit busy at the moment.

He set up one laptop to hack into the surveillance cameras, he set up the other one to attack the security system. It took a few short minutes to break into the systems. He had the entire building at his fingertips. 

Ryan was good at what he did. He’d always had a knack for electronics. Levitan used to tousle his hair and asked him where he got all his smarts, because he sure didn’t get it from them.

Ryan looked out the car window. The bright white letters of Monsoon glowed in front of him. The sight of it made him sick. He’d memorized the blueprints of that building, inside and out. Aside from eating food and not dying, this plan had been his only goal for the last five years. Five years without Levitan, five years he was determined to make up for.

He popped his knuckles and put his hands on the keyboard.

The car radio was still on. “London Calling” played in the background.

Ryan grinned and started to pick apart the digital security system, one byte of information at a time.

 

That kid seemed to walk by Levitan’s cell a lot. He always had this stupid guilty look on his face, and he’d always drop by after the hallways emptied out for the day.

Levitan didn’t do much with their time aside from lay on their bed, hallucinate vividly, do pushups, and stare out their little porthole. It wasn’t much but hey, it was a living.

“Hello?”

Levitan raised their head. They stood slowly and walked over to the door.

Yep, right on schedule. The clueless kid was standing outside the cell, fidgeting and checking over his shoulder as if someone was going to sneak up on him.

“Go away,” they said.

“I have a question,” he said.

They glanced down. He had a fucking notepad in his hand.

“Can’t you read my file or somethin’?” they asked. “They’ve got everythin’ written out from the sequence of my DNA to the diameter of my nostrils.  _ Beat it. _ ”

“Well, uh,” he said, tapping his pencil to his notepad. “I don’t have access to it. I’m just curious about why you’re here.”

“Huh.”

He waited expectantly. In other circumstances, his naivety and curiosity would be possibly endearing. As it was, Levitan found it extremely irritating.

“Well?” he said.

“Well, what?”

“Why are you here? I thought we were doing genetic experimentation...” Akio cringed when Levitan scowled deeply. “... and I thought, um… well, you look… normal?”

Levitan raised an eyebrow. “So… you’re tellin’ me that I shouldn’t rightly be here ‘cause I don’t got no scales or feathers or tentacles or nothin’?”

“Um… well, not in those  _ words,  _ but-”

“Listen, pipsqueak,” said Levitan, pressing their hand to the glass. “Not all strangeness is on the outside, y’hear? If I were you, I wouldn’t come anywhere  _ near  _ someone like me.”

“Why?” he asked, scribbling in his notepad.

“I’ve killed twenty of the scientists who’ve come to work on me,” they said, glowering down at him. “I strangled two with my own bedsheets, I beat the shit out of one who was  _ dumb  _ enough to check on me  _ mano-a-mano _ , I actually  _ ripped the throat  _ out of another, and just last week I butchered one with part of my mirror. I think I bashed out a few brains and choked a few mother fuckers out an’ shit over the years, too. I dunno, I’ve lost count.”

Akio looked pale. He swallowed. The bowtie bobbed. “W-why? Why did you kill them?”

“Hey, I’m just defendin’ myself,” they said. They grinned nastily. “Plus, I ain’t exactly  _ averse  _ to takin’ a life. You’re lookin’ at the most amoral, ruthless, backstabbin’, ass-kickin’, murderin’ asshole to ever enter this piece of shit facility.” They jabbed a finger at the glass, towards Akio as he cowered below them. “If you  _ ever  _ find me on the same side of this door as you, you’d best start  _ prayin’ for your salvation _ ‘cause prayin’ for your life ain’t gonna do you no good.  _ Got it? _ ”

Akio looked a little shaken by this. He put his notebook in his pocket. “Right. Okay.”

Levitan’s hand was still on the door. They leaned forwards just a tiny bit.

Slowly, with a loud, groaning creak… the door swung open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're reading my original work, thank you kindly! Nanowrimo has BEGUN!
> 
> Also, if you wanna say hi and check out what these guys look like, drop by over to my tumblr (runaway-toons) and check out the tag called "Monsoon".
> 
> Comment if you read! I love motivation!


	4. The Door Was Open

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: violence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ryan's doing his job.
> 
> Levitan's taking advantage of this opportunity.

Ryan pumped his fist. “Gotcha! Take that, you weak-ass security system, haha!”

He flicked through the security cameras to ensure that nobody was going to interrupt Levitan during their escape. There was that guy who was just outside the cell, but Ryan was sure that he wouldn’t be a problem. He was barely above an intern, and he was tiny… well, compared to Levitan, everybody was tiny.

There was a knock on the window of the car.

Uh-oh. Police officer.

Ryan cranked down the window and grinned haplessly, leaning out the window to obscure the view of his equipment. “What seems to be the trouble, officer?” he asked in his sweetest Texan accent.

“You can’t park here,” he said.

Ryan’s heart was thudding. He resisted the urge to look at the screens, but with one hand he turned down his police scanner.

This looked super sketchy, to be honest. Two laptops cobbled together from old parts, a radio, and a weird, gawky teenaged kid sitting next to them with an enormous amount of fast food in the front seat.

“Uh, I’m waitin’ for someone.”

The officer glanced at the equipment he had. “Why did you park here?”

“Um… they had to go to a meeting.”

“This late at night?”

“... Yep.”

“I see.” The officer folded his arms. “When will they be back?”

Ryan checked his watch. “Well, hopefully in less than twenty minutes, or I’ll be in real trouble. Plus, I’d have to put more money in the parking meter and I’m outta quarters.”

The officer folded his arms. “Is the person you’re waiting for your mom or your dad?”

“Um… no?”

“Guardian?”

“They’re doing a shit job of it, but yes.”

The cop gave a long-winded sigh. “Listen, kid… I’m gonna stay right here until your guardian gets back, then we need to have a long talk about leaving underaged people in a parked car in the middle of the night, and they’re getting a ticket.”

“They’ve only been gone for five minutes, and I’m fifteen. I can take care o’ myself. Just leave the ticket.”

The officer scowled at him. “I don’t like your tone of voice.”

“Um.” Ryan was acutely aware of how sweaty his forehead was. “Sorry, sir?”

“Open up the car, let me see what you got, there.”

“No.”

“No?”

“Nope. No can do.”

“Why?”

“If I told you, I’d have to kill you.” Ryan reached into his pocket and locked his hand around the little cannister.

“Really,” said the police officer flatly.

“Really! This is your last chance.”

The police officer didn’t move. “Listen, kid. I’m not gonna mo-”

“Suit yourself!” Ryan whipped out the spray can and covered his mouth with his t-shirt. He aimed it at the cop and sprayed anesthetic spray at his face.

His eyes rolled back into his head and he crumpled.

Ryan quickly rolled up the window of the car. “Dumbass. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He put his headset back on and returned to his laptops.

 

Levitan had a difficult time processing what they were seeing, at first. They blinked and rubbed their eyes on the heels of their palms to make sure they weren’t hallucinating.

The door was open.

The.

Door.

Was. 

Open.

The scientist looked just as shocked as they did. He hadn’t touched it. He had no idea how the locks just magically opened. Had they been hacked? What the hell was going on?

Levitan looked him over. They took a step forward, outside of their cell, and took a deep breath.

The kid’s shocked look turned to one of petrified terror. His eyes were wide and frightened behind his square-framed glasses. His knees were shaking, and he clutched at his notepad with trembling hands. He seemed unable to move an inch.

Levitan inspected their fingers, putting up a show of being casual about this new development. Blood was still under their nails, and they were bitten down to the quick. “I don’t suppose  _ you  _ were the one who opened this door for me as a show of your good will towards humankind?”

The kid floundered a little. “I… uh… that is to say…”

“Mmhmm, didn’t think so.” Levitan looked down the hallway in both directions, scratching the back of their neck. This place was a maze. How the  _ hell  _ were they going to find their way out of here without making a fuss?

The scientist tried to back away from them.

Levitan got an idea. They popped their knuckles. “If you would be  _ so  _ kind as to show me the exit?”

Akio took another tiny step backwards. Before he could move any farther, Levitan seized the front of his shirt and pulled him off his feet.

Akio wasn’t tall to begin with, but Subject Seventeen was a  _ giant.  _  He guessed that they must be at least six feet tall, maybe more. Up close, he could see every hardened line on their face, their shaggy blonde hair, and the scar across the bridge of their nose. Their hands seemed as big as dinner plates, and their canines looked just a little bit too sharp to be human. It seemed like they barely had to put in any effort to lift him by the front of his shirt.

“Show. Me. The.  _ Exit, _ ” they said. “Or so help me  _ god,  _ I will break your neck right now.”

“Nng! No, don’t! I need that!” His feet kicked uselessly in the air. “L-let me go!”

“For a wise guy, you sure are a dumbass.” Subject Seventeen dropped him gracelessly on the ground.

Akio fell to his knees before bolting back up to his feet. He tried to take a step to get away from Levitan, but they’d seized him and twisted his arm behind his back.

“Lead the way, pint-sized,” they growled into his ear.

 

Ryan watched Levitan through the security cameras. He slurped noisily at his coke while disengaging security systems with his other hand. Yeah, he could multitask. He was just that cool.

The unconscious police officer still lay on the sidewalk. Ryan was now wearing his hat. He should be out cold for another hour at least.

It was going… smoothly. Levitan had this scrawny guy’s arm in a death grip, he was guiding them through the hallways. They hadn’t been noticed, yet.

They moved offscreen, and Ryan hit another button or two, moving on to the next security camera. He choked on his drink and coughed, thumping himself in the chest.

Oh. Oh  _ shit. _

There was someone else in the hallway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, thanks for reading my original work! Shoot me a comment if you liked it~


	5. In Case of Escaped Experiment, Break Glass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levitan grabs Akio and runs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: violence and blood

Pain shot up Akio’s forearm with every step like a rusty nail jabbing into his flesh. Subject Seventeen’s hand was as good as an iron shackle around his wrist. Every time he tried to twist away, a spike of agony went straight through his bones when their grip tightened.

“Keep walking, pint-sized,” they growled.

Akio had never been so terrified in his whole life. His heart pounded in his throat. Every iota of his being was screaming that he was going to  _ die _ . He was going to suffer a tragic death at the hands of this lunatic, and there was nothing he could do about it. Nobody would even miss him.

He could picture the funeral, attended by two coworkers and a hobo with nothing better to do. His tombstone would read, “ _ Here Lies Akio Sato - He Died as He Lived; Lame and Alone _ ”.

“Stop  _ wriggling,  _ you little worm!” they hissed, gripping the back of his collar with their other hand. “I will not  _ hesitate  _ to slaughter you!”

Akio forced himself to keep walking. His head was swimming and his glasses were crooked. He could feel the tension radiating off of Subject Seventeen. It was clear that they were ready to snap into action at a second’s notice.

He prayed that they would be discovered, that he would be saved. He couldn’t imagine that they would be able to get all the way out of the building without being intercepted. Hell, he couldn’t believe that Subject Seventeen’s cell had just  _ opened up  _ like that, without him laying a single finger on it _. _ That was a wicked fluke.

Akio began to wonder whether it was a miracle… or something else.

“ _ Hey!  _ What’re you two doing?”

A guard came up to them, his gun levelled with Subject Seventeen’s head. He was wearing full body armour, and his hand was poised over his radio.

“Hands on your head!” he growled.

The Subject squeezed the back of Akio’s neck. Their breath was hot against his ear. He could practically feel their mind racing.

“Take your hands  _ off  _ of Dr. Sato!” said the guard, advancing. “Hands on your head  _ now! _ ”

Akio opened his mouth to warn him. Subject Seventeen’s hand jumped from his collar to clap over his mouth. Their hand was sweaty and tasted faintly of salt. He struggled against their hands, then whimpered as their fingers dug bruises into his arm and jaw.

“This is the last time!” said the guard. “ _ Hands on your head! _ ”

The Subject huffed a laugh, shifting their weight. Akio could feel their muscles coiling, preparing to pounce, all while making a show of being cavalier. “You think a  _ loser  _ like you is gonna stop  _ me?  _ I’ve been down here  _ too long  _ to get stopped by the likes o’  _ you,  _ buster!”

The guard was less than six steps away. He took the safety off his gun.

Subject Seventeen gave Akio a shove, and his knees hit the floor. The Subject leapt over to the guard and grabbed onto him in two places. They grabbed his gun with one hand, and they crushed his radio with the other.

_ They crushed his radio with their bare hand. _

Akio was even more afraid, if possible. He scrambled backwards and pressed himself against the wall, his hands over his ears, his eyes tight shut. His knees were too shaky for him to stand, and he was terrified of getting shot.

He could hear the sounds of the struggle. The thumping of fists on flesh, hissed curse words, muffled shouts, gasps for breath, and the sound of bodies heavily hitting the floor.

There was a gunshot, then more swearing. Akio curled into himself.

There was another gunshot.

Then silence.

He stayed motionless for a few moments. He trembled, his heart pounding in his throat. His jaw was clenched so tight he was sure he was gonna shatter his teeth.

He heard footsteps, but he couldn’t make himself look up, yet. He waited for a gentle hand on his shoulder, or a rough hand demanding that he got back on his feet.

He waited.

He considered getting to his feet and running for his life or sounding the alarm, but his body refused to obey him. His knees were still shaking, and his heart was trying to escape his chest by jumping into his throat.

He waited.

Subject Seventeen grabbed him by the back of the collar and hauled him upright.

As soon as he took in their appearance, he gasped. On their left shoulder, there was a hole through the uniform, with dark blood seeping through the fabric, staining it a sickening shade of red. Blood that wasn’t theirs flecked their clothing. They held the guard’s gun in one hand.

They jabbed the barrel towards Akio. “We can’t be far, now. Move it, unless you wanna end up like  _ him. _ ”

Akio couldn’t speak. He clapped a hand over his mouth and looked over to the body on the floor.

The guard was lying in a spreading pool of blood.

He had to walk through the puddle in order to proceed to the exit. His shoes tracked the blood down the hallway.

 

Ryan watched that scene unfold from afar. He let out a low whistle, feeling slightly sickened by the violence he’d just witnessed. 

He took another slurp from his coke. A few more taps on the keyboard disengaged the security systems up ahead. According to his map, they were nearing the exit. Ryan really wished that he could access the speaker system and tell Levitan that he was there, that he was waiting for them, that they should run, but that was on some old archaic line that he didn’t have access to.

There was another guard coming down the hall.

He put aside his coke and opened up a few files, activating the sirens in one room.

He watched the guard on screen turn his head at the sound of the sirens and quickly trot off to investigate.

Slick. He was on a roll.

He tried to grab his coke.

His fingers slipped. He tried to recover and grab it again, but it just shot out of his sweaty fingers… and upended itself over the laptop connected to the security system. The coke soaked into the keyboard. The laptop sparked. It fizzled out and the screen turned black.

Shit.  _ Shit! _

He frantically wiped it off, but it was too late. It had crashed, and it wasn’t coming back. The laptop connected to the security cameras was still operational, but they could no longer connect to the alarms or disengage the sensors that would alert the guards to their escape attempt.

Levitan was on their own, and all Ryan could do was watch and cross his fingers.

 

Levitan thought that this was going rather well, thank you very much. They kept a firm hold on the twerp who was guiding them out of here. Worst came to worst, he’d be a great human shield, but then they’d be lost in this facility.

They’d never had the best sense of direction.

“J-just up these stairs,” the scientist said. “Y-you’re gonna let me go, right?”

“Haven’t decided,” they said thoughtfully. “The more smoothly this goes, the less inclined I’ll be to break your neck. How does that sound?”

The kid swallowed. Levitan thought that his name was Sato. The guard called them that. They didn’t really care. Not important.

They were standing before an enormous metal door. The lock system looked very complicated, and the door was bolted up tight. It seemed like Levitan’s luck had run out, since it didn’t miraculously swing open like their cell door.

“Open it up.” Levitan jabbed the muzzle of the gun between Sato’s shoulderblades. 

“Okay, okay! Whatever you say!” With shaking hands, he took out his access card and swiped it through the reader. It blinked green and a panel opened up. He had to enter the PIN.

Levitan whirled around when they heard footsteps. Heavy boots thumped on the floor just down the hallway, and they were approaching fast.

Levitan’s heart began to race. They’d come so far, no  _ way  _ were they gonna get caught now! They prodded Sato’s spine with the gun.

“ _ Hurry or I’ll blow your brains out! _ ” they hissed.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” He mumbled something else in Japanese and he finished entering the PIN with sweat-slicked fingers.

The door opened. The footsteps were getting louder.

Levitan was officially operating on instinct. They slammed their side into the heavy door to open it fully. It swung and banged against the wall.

Not a smart move. The bang echoed around the facility, almost as loud as the gunshots had. Loud noises weren’t out of place around here, but at that second, a siren began to go off. Seems like the guard’s body was noticed.

Footsteps approached even faster.

“ _ Subject Seventeen’s escaped! _ ” cried a voice from far away.

“Oh,  _ shit!  _ We’re so  _ fucked! _ ”

_ Run. _

Levitan bolted up the stairs, fingers locked into Sato’s arm. The sirens were everywhere, the red lights flashing blindingly in their eyes.

Levitan burst into the lab, with Sato in tow. It was dark, aside from a few blinking lights on the computers. The light of the streetlamps shone in through the windows. It was the first light that Levitan had seen in years that wasn’t harsh and fluorescent. The smell of chemicals assaulted their nostrils, but if they had anything to say about it, they wouldn’t have to deal with that stench ever again.

“ _ Let me go! _ ” Sato screeched, trying to yank his arm out of their grip.

“Sorry,  _ buddy, _ ” they snarled, grabbing his shirt collar. “I plan to make good on my promise.”

Sato’s eyes were wide in terror.

“ _ Besides, _ ” they drawled as the footsteps and shouts drew nearer. “At this point, you’re either gonna get shot by them, fired from this place for “letting” me escape, arrested for conspiracy, or killed by me! Your options aren’t lookin’ good, pal. If you play your cards right and act smart, I  _ might  _ be a  _ tad  _ more merciful than your so-called  _ employers _ .”

“ _ They’re up here! _ ”

“Shit,” muttered Levitan.

Akio took a deep breath to call for help, but Levitan covered his mouth again, almost crushing his jaw with their fingers.

Someone dared to stick their head into the room. At the sound of footsteps, Levitan whipped around and fired their gun, planting a bullet square between their eyes.

Sato gave a shriek and covered his head.

“Move it, kid!” Levitan grabbed his collar and they ran for the front door.

“ _ They’re upstairs! Call reinforcement! _ ”

Levitan burst their way through the door into the lobby, almost knocking it off its hinges. The automatic doors required access cards to get in or out, but before Sato could grab his, Levitan had raised an arm over their face and smashed bodily through the glass doors with him in tow. He slipped on the broken glass and barely regained his footing. He could hear shouts behind him, and he desperately tried to get out of Levitan’s grip.

“ _ What do you want from me? _ ” he cried.

They shot him a glare over their shoulder as they ran from the building. “ _ Information, _ not to mention a punchin’ bag.”

He whimpered. He had cuts on his arms and his cheeks from the glass.

They stopped when they heard the beeping of a car horn and whooping cheers. Levitan stopped dead in shock.

There was a grey station wagon parked out front. Whoever was driving revved the engine.

Levitan’s face split into a huge grin. They still held firmly onto his wrist as they jogged over to the car, hopping over what seemed to be an unconscious police officer while they were at it.

“Need a lift?”

Levitan watched Sato’s eyes widen when he saw the culprit behind the steering wheel. A gawky teenager with black hair, freckles, and a chipped tooth grinned back at the two of them. It had been years, and he sure had changed, but Levitan knew exactly who this was.

“You sunnovagun,” said Levitan, still sporting their silly grin. “Is it really you?”

“Yep,” said Ryan. “It’s really me.” He gave Sato a once-over. “Who’s  _ this  _ loser?”

Levitan considered a few possibilities about what to do next while Dr. Sato floundered with his answer. After a few seconds of mulling the matter over, Levitan grabbed the back of his neck and smacked his head against the car.

Sato was knocked unconscious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading my original work, comments are always appreciated! :D
> 
> I draw these guys sometimes, so if you're curious, check out my tumblr: runaway-toons


	6. A Baseball Bat to the Knees

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryan and Levitan escape.
> 
> Akio makes another stupid decision in a long, long line of stupid decisions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: pretty graphic violence

Levitan shoved Sato gracelessly into the back seat, slammed the door shut, and climbed into the shotgun side. Immediately, their nose was assaulted with the scent of fast food. It simultaneously made their stomach turn and their mouth water.

Sirens and shouts were coming from the facility. The white letters of “ _ Monsoon _ ” glowed in the dark. Levitan never wanted to look at the colour white again for the rest of their goddamn life.

They shut the door behind them, and Ryan slammed his foot onto the gas pedal. The car’s tires squealed and the rubber burned and stank as they ripped out of their, clipping the car parked in front of them in the process.

_ Ryan. _

Holy  _ shit. _ Levitan couldn’t stop staring at him. He’d grown up so much. Last time they’d seen him, he’d been ten years old with a gap-toothed grin and hair that was too long for his own good.

Now… well, Ryan’s hair was still too long. It was shaggy enough that he could pull it back into a small ponytail. His freckles still remained from his childhood, but his hands were huge for his skinny arms and he had a chip knocked out of his front tooth.

“Once we get over the bridge, it’ll be easy to lose ‘em,” said Ryan, grinning widely. Sirens sounded in the distance, but they were fading away fast. “I’ve been planning this for the better part of six months. I’m kinda bummed that I ruined one of the laptops.”

Levitan looked into the back seat. Behind where Dr. Sato was crumpled up, there were two laptops that looked… very handmade. They knew Ryan’s handiwork, anywhere. 

Well, it was official. Levitan had spawned a genius, god only knows how.

“Ho-lee  _ shit, _ ” they said with the biggest, dumbest smile they’d had on their face in five years. They laughed. It felt so  _ foreign  _ to them. “You engineered this  _ whole  _ thing?”

“Eeyup!” Ryan chuckled and spun the wheel. The car skidded around a corner. They were on their way towards the highway. “I  _ told  _ you I wouldn’t let ‘em keep ya! Can’t call  _ me  _ no liar!”

Levitan laughed, loud and long and hard, and ruffled his hair with their hand. When they pulled away, Ryan was grinning with tears in his eyes. He subtly wiped them away before Levitan could say anything.

“So what’s the deal with scientist dude?” asked Ryan. Levitan noticed that he’d switched from his Texas accent to something that sounded more like… California, maybe? Interesting.

“The  _ deal  _ with him is that he wouldn’t  _ fuckin’  _ leave me alone, in there,” they said. “He pointed me towards the exit. God knows it’s like a fuckin’ maze in there.”

“No kidding,” he said. “You kept him… why?”

“Dunno.” Levitan looked over their shoulder at him. “Seemed like a good idea. I got a weird sorta feelin’ ‘bout him, y’know?”

Ryan knew enough that Levitan’s gut instincts were not to be trifled with. He nodded reverently. “Gotcha. What’re you gonna do with him?”

“Rough him up,” said Levitan. “Ask a few questions. Mess with his head, see how he likes it.”

Ryan poked his tongue into his cheek. “Hungry? I got us food. If I’d known we were gonna have the scientist guy, I’d have grabbed another Big Mac.”

Levitan grinned and dug their hand into the fast food bag. They pulled out a lukewarm hamburger and sank their teeth into it with a satisfied moan.

“Oh… my god…” They swallowed hard and thumped themselves in the chest. “Holy crap, it’s been  _ so damn long  _ since I’ve had real food!”

Ryan glanced sidelong at Levitan as they finished the burger, quickly munched down the fries, and drank half of the coke in one long gulp.

“Ugh, I think I’m gonna puke,” they said.

“Don’t,” said Ryan warningly. “I only have, like, ten bucks left to my name. It’ll be a hassle to get more to eat.”

Levitan chuckled and wiped their mouth on the back of their wrist. “Alright, alright.”

“We’re gonna have to flee the state,” said Ryan. “Maybe get up to Canada, if we can. Heh, Canada if we can, that’s funny.” He gave a little snort.

Levitan chuckled. “You’re still a baby nerd.” They pinched his cheek.

When he was little, Ryan used to  _ hate  _ it when they did that. He’d roll his eyes and whine and try and push their hand away. Now, he teared up as soon as their hand touched his face.

Levitan yanked their hand away. “Shit, kid. I didn’t pinch ya that hard, did I?”

Ryan sniffled and dried his eyes on the sleeve of his oversized raincoat. “N-no. I just… fuck, I-I missed you so fucking much…”

Levitan’s heart gave a painful twist. “Squirt, I missed you every second of every day. I’m so,  _ so  _ proud of you.”

Ryan gave them a watery smile. “Thanks, Levitan.”

Lev smiled and sighed. They stretched their legs out and looked out the window, watching the streetlamps pass by. It was dark out, the clock said it was almost midnight. It had been so long since they’d even seen darkness.

Despite the sirens and the fact that they could be pulled over any minute, Levitan hadn’t felt so relaxed in years. The comforting rumble of the car, the soothing darkness, the quiet jazz playing on the radio. It was… so nice. So, so nice.

A laugh burbled up into their chest. They started to snicker, then chuckle, then their laugh grew into an absolute, thigh-slapping, gasping-for-air  _ roar. _

Ryan looked alarmed. “Holy  _ shit,  _ that place turned you nutty!”

“ _ I’m free! _ ” they cried. Tears rolled freely down their cheeks, it had been so long since they’d cried. “Holy  _ shit! _ I’m free! I’m finally  _ free! _ ” They laughed and choked on their sobs, roughly wiping the tears from their cheeks with balled-up fists. “I’m fucking  _ free! _ ”

“Stop crying, you’re gonna make me cry!” said Ryan, his voice sounding strangled. He had a white-knuckled grip on the wheel.

Levitan sobbed into their hands, and they laughed again, fighting hard to catch their breath.

Ryan was crying, too. He let the tears run freely down his cheeks and nose and drip from his chin as they drove out of the state, towards freedom, whatever the hell that was gonna be.

 

The first thing that Akio noticed when he regained consciousness was that it was dark. He could smell wet grass and gasoline. He could hear familiar voices talking.

“Aw, Squirt! I can’t believe that you saved this ol’ thing this whole dang time!”

That was the voice of Subject Seventeen, he was sure of it! He tried to get to his feet, then he realized that his wrists and ankles were bound with tape. He was wearing a blindfold and lying on his side in the grass.

Well, this was it. It was official. Worst. Day.  _ Ever. _

The grass tickled his nose. He sneezed.

“Oh, looks like Dr. Fuckstick is awake,” said the other voice cheerily.

“Let me go!” he said, trying to sound braver than he felt. He wriggled against his bonds.

“Easy, buddy.” The new voice put his foot on Akio’s shoulder and kicked him over so he was flat on your back. The voice slipped from a California accent to a Texan one.  “Don’t stress yourself out. You’ll get all chewy. Stress ain’t good for the meat.”

“ _ You’re gonna eat me?! _ ” Akio screeched.

Both voices burst into raucous laughter, and Akio’s ears turned red.

“Dumbass,” said Subject Seventeen with a chuckle. Akio felt a pair of huge hands on his shoulders, and he was propped up against what felt like a tree. The blindfold was pulled from his eyes.

Before him stood Subject Seventeen and their accomplice who’d driven the car. He couldn’t make out the details very well, things were a bit blurry, but he could see that the subject was standing wearing a pair of cargo pants and a tank top, in their hand a leather bomber jacket. They were in the middle of an enormous field. The station wagon was parked a few feet away, the trunk wide open. The only light source was the headlights of the car.

Akio had never seen so many stars overhead, before. Without his glasses they were fuzzy, but they still twinkled. He didn’t really have time to enjoy them, at the moment. In fact, the sight of them made him feel a little sick.

It meant that they were really,  _ really  _ far away from New York.

“Okay,” said the accomplice. “Now, what?”

Akio tried to pry his ankles apart. “Subject Seventeen, I-I  _ demand  _ to know what you’re gonna do to me!”

Before Subject Seventeen could say a word, the accomplice jumped in. “Alright, if you’re gonna be like that, let’s start with introductions.” Akio cringed when he realized that he’d  _ stupidly  _ failed to notice that he was holding  _ a baseball bat. _

“ _ This, _ ” said the accomplice, jabbing a thumb at Subject Seventeen, “is  _ Levitan Reeves.  _ If you so much as  _ think  _ about  _ daring  _ to call them “Subject Seventeen”  _ ever again _ , I’ll fucking bash your knees in, clear?”

Akio nodded quickly. His mouth was parched. He had a lot of questions, but confusion muddled his head and he figured maybe he should keep his mouth shut.

“My name is Ryan Reeves,” said the accomplice, swinging the baseball bat casually. Akio could see it glint. It was made of steel. “AKA, Handsome Super Genius Hacker Extraordinaire. You might be scared of Levitan when they’re angry, but right now you should be  _ way  _ more scared of me.” Ryan put the baseball bat against Akio’s chin and forced him to look at him.

Akio felt the terror coil in his chest. Ryan’s eyes were dark. He looked as if he wouldn’t hesitate to kill him. He’d never been so afraid of a kid before, not even when he  _ was  _ a kid.

“You people took Levitan away from me,” he snarled. Akio flinched when the spittle landed on his cheek. “Levitan is the only family I got. I will  _ never  _ forgive anyone for that. Nothing you or anyone else can do will  _ possibly  _ make that up to me. I’ve spent  _ five years completely alone.  _ I will break every bone in your body for  _ fun _ . Not because I need to, but because it will give me some satisfaction to see  _ you  _ and people  _ like  _ you hurt just as much as  _ I  _ did.”

Levitan looked as if they were trying to hide their beaming pride, while also considering the possibility of crying. They leaned against the car, arms folded, and watched the scene develop before them.

Ryan pulled back, tapping the baseball bat against the bottom of his shoe. “So, Dr. Fuckstick… what’s your deal?”

Akio cleared his throat. “M-my name is Akio Sato. I-I, uh, I’m from Japan. Kyoto. Um. Th-there’s not much to me, but I can’t see very well without my glasses so… uh…”

“Are you, like, practically blind without them?” asked Ryan.

“I’m nearsighted,” he said, looking at his knees. “So, uh, if you want me to get anything from your facial expressions you’ll need to get a lot closer or just… give me my glasses back?”

Ryan looked over at Levitan. “Know where they are?”

Levitan shrugged. “He can talk an’ listen. That’s all we need.”

“Alright.” Ryan leaned against his baseball bat. “How long have you been at Monsoon?”

“S-six months,” he stammered.

Ryan puffed out his cheeks and sighed. “So you’re a newbie?”

“Y-yes,” he said. “I-I only knew that the lower levels existed, um… last week?”

“Fuck,” muttered Ryan bitterly. He pointed the baseball bat at Akio while looking over at Levitan. It pressed against his nose. “This dipshit doesn’t know anything!”

Levitan gave another shrug. “Maybe I was wrong. I thought there was somethin’ strange ‘bout him, turns out that he’s just a borin’ piece o’ shit.”

Akio pulled away. “I-I’m not boring!”

“ _ Shut up! _ ”

Ryan’s baseball bat cracked against Akio’s knee. He let out a shriek when he felt the bone break.

Levitan dug into the pocket of their old leather jacket and produced a box of cigarettes. “Hey, Squirt? Gotta light?”

Ryan took another swing at Akio. His bat cracked into his shoulder as he raised his bound hands over his head to protect his face. It left a sweet bruise, but that was about it. “Yeah, in the glovebox of the car.”

“Mind grabbin’ it for me?”

“Sure.” He started to walk away.

Akio breathed a sigh of relief.

“ _ One last swing for the road! _ ” The baseball bat smashed into his other knee.

“ _ OW! FUCK! _ ” Akio shouted before curling up into himself.

He could hear Ryan laughing as he walked off, swinging the bat casually. He could hear the two of them talking in low voices, but he couldn’t make out their words over the sound of the blood pounding in his hears. His throat felt tight and he tried to stop himself from crying, but with two broken shins that wasn’t likely to happen.

Akio’s head snapped up when he heard Levitan approach him. Their footsteps were heavy on the wet grass. When they stepped closer, he saw that they had traded the crappy pull-on sneakers that the facility had provided for them for a pair of well-worn steel-toed combat boots.

“A tiny piece of useful information might just save your life, y’know,” said Levitan. They lit a cigarette and took a long drag before exhaling. “ _ Oh my god,  _ I missed nicotine.”

“That’s a white trash habit,” said Ryan.

“I  _ am  _ white trash, so  _ there _ .” Levitan took another satisfying drag before blowing a smoke ring. “Hah! Still got it!”

“Clever,” said Ryan, leaning against the car. “So… what should we do with him?”

“Gonna ask him one more time.” Levitan raised their foot and pressed it down onto Akio’s broken knee. He bit back a squeal. “What can you tell us about Monsoon?”

“N-nothing you don’t already know!” he said. “Th-they’re doing experiments with genetics, w-working on splicing human with machines o-or something… I-I don’t know too many d-d-details.”

“You’re kinda stupid, y’know?” said Levitan. 

“W-what?”

“The only reason I kept you  _ alive  _ is ‘cause you might’ve been useful, and now you’re tellin’ me that you got  _ nothin’?  _ Pathetic. Stupid and pathetic.”

Akio realized that they were right. He would kick himself if his shins weren’t broken.

Levitan took another puff on their cigarette and blew the smoke into his face. He cringed away, eyes shut tight.

“I could butcher you,” they mused, the cigarette dangling from their lower lip. “I could string you up like a sow with your own intestines.”

Akio whimpered and pulled his shoulders up to his ears.

“Or I could chop you apart… bit… by… bit…” Levitan smiled nastily. “I’d start with your fingers, then your toes. Then, your hands and your feet. I’d snip off your nose and pluck out your eyes.”

“ _ Oh please god, no! _ ” he whispered.

Levitan ploughed on. “I can tell you from  _ experience  _ that bein’ chopped apart is one o’ the worst ways to go. Ooh, I could  _ strangle  _ you, that’s always a rush. Your neck is real soft an’ you’re so little… I could do it with one hand.”

Akio was sure he was gonna crack his teeth with how hard he’s clenching his jaw. He tried desperately to tug his hands apart, but the tape was too thick.

“I’ve done it before,” they said, flicking the ash from the end of their cigarette. “They grab at my arm as their faces turn blue, they struggle and kick but they never get me off. Then their eyes roll back into their skulls and they go perfectly still. When I pull ‘way, their necks have bruises shaped like my hands.”

Akio chewed viciously on his lower lip. He tasted blood. Oh god, oh god, oh god!

“Maybe I could yank your fingernails out, first,” said Levitan, tapping their finger against their chin. “I bet Ryan’s gotta pair o’ pliers ‘round. Yeah, that could be fun.”

“ _ I-if you’re gonna k-k-kill me, just do it! _ ” he said. His face was wet with tears.

Levitan chuckled. “Suit yourself, small fry.” They reached for their hip and pulled out a gun, the same gun that they stole from the guard. They pressed the cool metal to Akio’s forehead. “Any last words?”

Akio knew that if he didn’t die now he would die later, after having endured all that pain. The pain throbbed through his legs. A gun was preferable. 

Levitan was close enough that Akio could see the colour of their eyes. Silver, or maybe dark grey. He could pick out the ridges of the scar that cut across their nose, and he noticed another scar on their neck, another on their forearm, and another on their shoulder that was faded to the point where it was barely visible at all.

Their shoulder.

The same shoulder that had been shot.

There was no blood.  No bandages, no wound, no nothing. There wasn’t even a mark, not where the bullet had been. He was positive. There was no way he wouldn’t remember that.

“Your shoulder,” he said.

Levitan glanced down. “What about it?”

“You were shot. I-I’m sure of it. But… there’s no bullet wound.”

Levitan’s eyebrows pinched together. They took the safety off the gun.

Akio closed his eyes. “How is it that-”

There was a bang.

Then everything was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading my original work! Comments are always appreciated.


	7. Stars and Wet Grass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levitan and Ryan share a quiet moment.
> 
> Well, for a few minutes, at least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: brief mention of blood

“Smooth.” Ryan leaned against the car, his hands jammed deep into the pockets of his rain jacket. “That was therapeutic.”

Levitan walked away from Akio’s corpse, still puffing on the cigarette. “Yeah, well, I’m still feelin’ kinda fucked up ‘bout being a prisoner for five years.” They leaned against the car, next to Akio, and pulled on their leather jacket. It was chilly out.

Levitan could hardly believe that Ryan had held onto that jacket for all this time. It can’t have been easy. It was one of their most valuable possessions. When they checked the pockets, they’d found the pack of cigarettes, and even their wallet. There was no cash in it, but there were a few photos.

“Lev?”

“Yeah, Squirt?”

“What did they do to you, in there?”

They blew a smoke ring. “The list of things they  _ didn’t  _ do to me is shorter than the list of stuff they did.”

“Dang. Well, what  _ didn’t  _ they do to you?”

“They didn’t treat me nice or give me candy.” They chuckled.

Ryan huffed and folded his arms. “It ain’t funny. You were a prisoner. You were  _ tortured. _ ”

“Yeah. I don’t sleep much no more.” They stubbed the cigarette out on the side of the station wagon and blew out one last cloud of smoke. “What can I say? I just… wanna forget about everythin’ that happened.

Ryan shivered and stuck his hands back in his pockets. He looked mournful. “Me too.”

Levitan looked at their boots. “Well, you know what  _ I’ve  _ been up to. What’ve  _ you  _ been doin’ for the last five years?”

Ryan gave them a pained look. “You’re not gonna like what I have to say.”

“I need to hear it,” they said. They stood in front of him and gripped his shoulders, looking right into his eyes. “Kiddo, I need to know. I don’t care how bad it is, I don’t care if you did stuff you think I might not like. That stuff don’t matter. I just…” They sighed. “I  _ need  _ to know.”

Ryan gave a small sigh. “Well… okay. For the first year, I just bummed around. I was homeless. I picked pockets in Chicago, rummaged through garbage cans, the works. I lived beside this dumpster behind a... Walmart.”

Ryan flinched at the look that crossed Levitan’s face. They unintentionally dug their fingers into his shoulder.

“Ow,” he said absently.

Levitan pulled their hands away sharply and jammed their fists into the pockets of their leather jacket. “Sorry. G-go on.”

Ryan cleared his throat. “Well, after awhile, it started to get cold out, y’know? Winter was on its way. I figured that hey, since the people of Walmart  _ really  _ don’t give a shit about their jobs, I could just… live in the Walmart.”

Levitan blinked. “Excuse me?”

“You heard,” he said, unable to keep the mischievous smile off of his face. “I stole some stuff to wash up with, showered at the local swimming pool. They never saw me sneak in. Then, I just sorta started… living in the Walmart. They got couches to sleep on. I stole food from the grocery section and ate it in the bathroom. Sometimes I went to soup kitchens n’ stuff. Then, I started taking the electronics and hiding ‘em. Made a few bucks selling tracking devices. I guess I was almost twelve, by then?”

Levitan shook their head. “I have so many questions.”

“Shoot.”

“How did nobody catch you?”

Ryan shrugged. “Beats me. The people who work there really don’t notice  _ anything. _ They don’t give a  _ shit. _ When you’re making minimum wage, it’s hard to muster the energy to care whether or not a group of teenagers has a shopping cart race down the aisle. Before you ask, yes. I did witness that.”

“Wow, alrighty.” They were proud of Ryan’s ingenuity, even if it was… unconventional. “Who’d you sell your gizmos to?”

Ryan made a so-so gesture with his hand. “Sketchy guys. I was sorta outta options. I didn’t wanna go into foster care. I didn’t wanna be on record, y’know? Then they’d start to investigate  _ me  _ and  _ you, _ and a ton of stuff would fall apart.” He kicked his foot in the dirt. “I-I wouldn’t be able to get you back if somebody’s keepin’ tabs on me.”

“Right, right.” Levitan didn’t say it, but they would have honestly preferred it if Ryan had turned himself in to the police right away. Even if the foster system was  _ terrible, _ Levitan would have rather that he was being taken care of and fed, even if he was juggled from home to home. They prioritized his safety and comfort over their own,  _ always.  _ He didn’t seem to do the same. 

“What else happened?” they asked.

“I stole a car. I figured out how to drive, then I hit the road.” Ryan looked up at the stars. “I got smart. I sold gadgets, and I broke into houses and cars and pawned stuff, then I hit the road again. This is the third car I’ve stolen.” He rapped his knuckles against it. “I made it all the ways to San Francisco. Met some decent people who helped me out a bit. By then I was thirteen, and I had started coming up with a plan of action to get you out of that hell-hole. I drove back over here, built my own gear, and… well, the rest is history.”

Levitan was so proud of him. So proud, and… so sad. They didn’t want to think about Ryan, alone in the streets, fending for himself with nobody to take care of him, for five whole years. He’d been forced to grow up too fast, and they were  _ furious.  _ After all the  _ work  _ that they’d put in to make sure that he had a happy childhood, only to have it ripped away from him. 

Before Ryan came along, Levitan hadn’t even so much as celebrated Christmas in  _ years.  _ When he was little, they’d pulled out all the stops. Even though what they did for money was… unethical, and Ryan had perhaps witnessed violence a little too young in life, and they often barely had enough to eat… they were happy. They were happy, and they were  _ together.  _

Levitan had worked  _ so fucking hard  _ for both of their happiness, and it as taken from them. Just like it had been before, time and time again.

It… it just wasn’t fair.

They put a hand on his shoulder and pulled him into a tight hug.

“I missed you,” they murmured, their cheek resting on top of his head. They could smell him, and he still smelled the same. Like engine grease and something sweet underneath.

Ryan gripped their jacket with two hands. “I missed you, too.” He sniffled and rubbed his face on Levitan’s shoulder.

“Did you just wipe your snotty nose on my coat?”

“... Maybe.”

Levitan chuckled. “I’m proud of you, son. I’m so proud. I love you so much. You know that, right?”

“I know. I-I love you, too.” Ryan pulled away. He was teary-eyed. He quickly wiped his cheeks. “Damn, crying twice in one day. I-I haven’t cried in two years.”

Levitan grinned. Their eyes were also watery. “I thought I’d had my tear ducts removed. Guess not.” They laughed a little. “Wanna do somethin’ dumb?”

“Sure. What is it?”

“Let’s turn off the car and lie in the grass. We can look up at the stars.”

Ryan looked down at their shoes. “The grass is soaking wet.”

“Got any towels or blankets?”

“Let me check the trunk.”

Levitan huffed out a sigh. Their breath clouded before their face. 

When the car was shut off, it was completely quiet and utterly dark. Levitan was overwhelmed by the sense of peace that came over them. They hadn’t felt so comforted or content in… so  _ long _ .

Ryan came back with a blanket and a towel draped over one arm. “Not much, but it’ll do.”

“That’s perfect, Squirt.” Levitan grabbed the large blanket and laid it down on the grass before plopping down on top of it.

Ryan flopped down next to them, only to be pulled into a tight hug, leaving no room between them. Levitan spread the towel over the two of them. It was chilly out, after all.

“I haven’t seen the stars in so long,” they said in half a whisper. 

“I haven’t looked at them in so long.”

Levitan let out a contented sigh. Ryan threw his arm over their torso and snuggled up to them, like he used to do when he was a little kid.

Levitan was exhausted. They wanted to close their eyes and sleep, but… their heart was hammering. The adrenaline high was still wearing off. There were so many things they wanted to say to Ryan, so much time to make up for.

The stars were beautiful. It was so quiet. No yells, no screams. Just… the sound of their breath. The highway was far away, they could see the headlights of the cars pass by once in awhile, and they could  _ just  _ hear the soft purr of their motors. There were no crickets, it was too late in the year. Even though it was cold, Levitan tended to run a little warm, so they felt just fine in the current temperature… especially with Ryan stuck onto their side, arms wound around them like an octopus.

“Ever seen a shooting star?” asked Ryan.

“Mm, a couple o’ times. Not in a long while.”

“Do the wishes work?” He sounded like a little kid, again. Maybe he hadn’t grown up all the way.

“Sometimes, Squirt.” They ruffled his hair. He leaned into their touch.

“If I could wish for something right now, it would be a cup of hot chocolate,” said Ryan. “Other than that… I think I’m good.”

“Y’know what? Me too.” Levitan grinned. Their cheeks hurt from smiling so much.

Today was a good day.

All was quiet and peaceful for a few minutes. The air smelled fresh and sweet from the damp grass.

“ _ Ugh… oh god, what the hell happened? _ ”

Levitan bolted upright, sending Ryan sprawling, and whipped around.

They could see a shape moving in the darkness, shifting on the grass.

“No… no way!” Levitan leapt to their feet.

Ryan scrambled upright, threw open the car door and started the engine to turn on the lights.

Akio Sato sat up and blinked. Blood was soaked down his face and into his shirt, but otherwise he looked… unharmed.

Levitan scratched the back of their neck. “Alright, before I freak out… Ryan, are you seeing what I’m seeing?”

“Uh… I think so,” said Ryan, holding onto the car door.

Levitan kneeled next to Akio and poked their finger into his cheek.

“Can you _ not? _ ” asked Akio. He squirmed in his bonds and muttered in Japanese, “ _ I can’t believe I have to put up with this shit. I hate you. _ ”

Levitan raised an eyebrow. “How are you not dead? My aim’s usually pretty good.”

“You  _ shot  _ me?” he screeched. “Is  _ that  _ what happened?” 

“Uh, yep. That’s what happened.” They held his jaw in place and pushed his bangs back to examine the spot where they’d shot him.

There wasn’t even a mark.

They whistled. “Ho-lee shit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading my original work! As usual, comments are loved and appreciated!


	8. Soft Jazz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akio is miraculously alive. The three of them try to wrap their heads around this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: a bit of blood, and soft jazz.

Ryan was shivering. It had gotten even colder in the last few minutes. “So… now what’re we gonna do?”

“Honestly? I don’t think anyone could’ve planned this.” Levitan sat on the hood of the car.

“Wanna… try again?” asked Ryan. “I could run him over.”

“ _ Please don’t, _ ” said Akio. He was starting to get tired of being scared and had instead resolved to be exasperated.

“Lemme check something.” Levitan stood and walked over to Akio. They nudged his leg with their boot. “Hmm.”

“What?” he asked.

“Your leg ain’t broken.” Levitan scratched their jaw. “Well, ain’t this a puzzle?” They pulled out their switchblade. “Gotta try somethin’.”

Akio jerked away and tried to shuffle backwards, pressing himself into the tree. “ _ No! P-please don’t! _ ”

“Stop whinin’, you big baby.” Levitan grabbed his bound wrists and made a small cut on the back of his hand. “There. That’s all. Quit your cryin’, or I’ll give you somethin’ to  _ really  _ cry ‘bout.”

Akio pouted and huffed. He muttered some obscenities under his breath in Japanese and pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them.

Levitan kept their eyes on his cut. They lit another cigarette and took a long drag.

“If my theory is correct,” they said, “this changes everythin’.”

“What theory?” asked Akio, his voice cracking.

Levitan didn’t answer right away. They still watched his hand.

After a minute, they let out a huffing sigh. “Welp, seems like I was right. There  _ is  _ somethin’ special ‘bout you, after all.”

“What?”

“Lookit your hand, dummy.”

Akio looked down at his cut. It had completely vanished.

“Yeah?” he said, seeming a little puzzled. “What about it?”

“God, are you that  _ thick? _ ” said Levitan, frustrated. “People aren’t  _ like  _ that. Normal folks can’t  _ do  _ that!”

Akio gave a little shrug. “Uh… maybe God just loves me?”

“If that were the case,” pointed out Ryan from his spot by the car, “you wouldn’t be stuck with us, right now.”

“How have you not noticed this about yourself until now?” asked Levitan.

“Hey, give me a break!” he protested. “I’ve never broken a bone or even had a sprain, until now. I used to carry bandaids with me and slap ‘em on my cuts right away. My bruises always faded fast. One little cut healing doesn’t mean I have some kind of  _ superpower! _ ”

“Nope,” said Levitan. “But coming back from the dead? I’ve only seen one other person do that.”

“Who?”

Levitan took the switchblade, grabbed it, and sliced open their palm with one smooth motion. Akio winced and looked away.

“ _ You’re crazy! _ ” he said.

Levitan grabbed his jaw and held up their palm, directing his gaze towards their hand. “ _ Look at it! _ ”

Akio couldn’t take his eyes away from the blood dripping down their palm. Slowly, ever so slowly, the skin knit itself back together right before his eyes. It was like the cut was never there in the first place.

“What the hell,” said Akio, eloquent as always.

“If you’re wondering,” said Ryan, “I can heal, too. I ain’t never been killed or nothin’, but seems like I inherited Levitan’s mutant genes.”

“Mutant?”

“You worked in  _ genetic engineering _ , genius,” said Levitan, rolling their eyes. “We’re  _ mutants.  _ I told you that not all strangeness is on the outside. This is what they did to me.  _ I can’t die.  _ Not now, not ever. Believe me, I’ve tried.”

Akio’s vision was still blurry without his glasses, but he caught how Ryan’s figure stiffened with tension at that phrase.

“So, now we have somethin’ in common.” Levitan plopped themselves down on the grass. “We both know what it’s like to have our brains blasted out, then have our souls dragged back, kickin’ and screamin’ from the void. Fun, huh?”

“Uh.” Akio was sweating. He lowered his voice to a whisper. “Did you really… k-kill me?”

“For a little while, anyway.” They chuckled and pulled out their gun. “Right here.” They tapped his forehead. “If you’re anything like me, you oughta be ship shape right ‘bout now, but your memories might be a lil’ bit fogged up. It happens. Look there’s some of your brain tissue.” They pointed at the tree behind him.

Akio craned his head and looked then he made a face when he saw the blood splatter and grey matter on the tree behind his head. “Oh my god, c-could you  _ please  _ move me out of the pool of my own blood? This is disgusting.”

Levitan stood and put their hands on their hips. “Yeah, I guess that’s common courtesy. Hang on.” Levitan took their knife and slit the tape between Akio’s ankles. “If you think ‘bout runnin’, just know that we’re thirty miles from the nearest town.”

Akio groaned. He stood carefully, then shook out his stiff legs. His hands were still bound. He scratched his nose.

“Are my glasses around?” asked Akio.

Ryan looked over at Levitan.

Levitan gave a nod.

Ryan puffed out his cheeks and opened the car door to hunt around in the back to see where they’d fallen off.

“What’re you gonna do with me?” asked Akio. He felt a lot more confident with the knowledge that he wouldn’t be dying today. Well… he couldn’t die, so it seemed.

Wow, he really wished that he’d had this information earlier.

Then again… they could torture him. String him up with his intestines or pull out his fingernails or something, like they said they would. Not ideal. Maybe he should watch his step a little more.

Levitan seemed to be thinking this matter over. They puffed on their cigarette, giving Akio the impression that they looked like a fuming dragon. The cigarette smoke hung low in the air.

“Found ‘em!” Ryan hopped out of the car and kicked the door shut without looking behind him. “Ta-da!”

Akio held open one of his bound hands for his glasses. “Thanks.” With a little difficulty, he put them on his nose. “Aw, crap.” One of the wire earpieces was bent. He took them off and fiddled with them for a moment before putting them back. “Better.”

With his glasses on, he could clearly see Levitan’s expression. Their brow was deeply furrowed and their foot was tapping incessantly on the flattened grass. 

It was quiet for a few minutes. Akio subtly tried to work his hands out of the tape, unsure what else he should do. Ryan whistled. Levitan tapped their foot.

“I’m bored,” said Ryan, switching to a California accent. “This is lame. What’re we gonna do, now?”

Levitan gave a yawn. “Christ. What time is it?”

Akio checked his watch. “Quarter after three.”

“I dunno ‘bout y’all, but  _ I’m  _ exhausted and I need a shower,” said Levitan. “Today’s been too long. I’m fuckin’ done. Let’s pile in the carr and find a motel.”

“What do we do with him?” asked Ryan, jabbing a thumb at Akio.

Levitan waved him off. “We’ll take ‘im with us and figure it out later. Not like we can kill him or let him go.”

“Why can’t you let me go?” asked Akio.

“Turns out there  _ is  _ more I can learn from you, after all,” said Levitan. “Ryan, make a note of this. My instincts are  _ always  _ right. Always.”

“I know, Lev. I know.” He opened the car door.

“Get in the passenger side. I’ll drive.” They pulled out the switchblade and sliced the tape from Akio’s wrists. “Well, we’re at an impasse. Nobody here can die, so there’s no point in attacking one ‘nother.”

“True,” said Ryan as he climbed in on the other side of the car.

Akio climbed into the back of the car, pushed the fast food wrappers aside, and buckled his seatbelt.

Levitan climbed in and looked back. “Seriously? Seatbelt?  _ We can’t die, you idiot. _ ”

“Well. It’s a habit.” He yawned. He felt drained and starving. Probably side effects of his so-called “mutation”.

Akio had a lot of questions, but he was too tired to put any brain work into answering them. He nodded off to sleep in the back seat of the car within minutes.

“You gonna sleep, too?” asked Levitan.

Ryan shook his head. “Nah. I wanna stay up and talk.” He yawned. The bags under his eyes were dark.

“Squirt, when was it that you last slept?”

“Uh… two days ago, maybe?”

Levitan chuckled. The radio was still playing soft music. “Alright, if you say so.” They glanced over. Ryan’s eyes were shut. “Wow, already?”

“I’m just resting my eyes,” he said.

“Alright, sure thing.”

Ryan started to snore in less than a minute.

Levitan enjoyed the drive. The car rumbled out of the field and onto the highway. 

It was a quiet night, and they’d always had a weakness for soft jazz.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading my original work! This chapter was a bit shorter and slower, but I'm doing my best, dangit! Have a great day, leave a comment if you're enjoying it.
> 
> AND BST IF YOU'RE READING THIS TEXT ME AFTERWARDS
> 
> HI KALE


	9. The Most Selfish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akio wakes up and takes a shower, then he and Levitan have a nice heart-to-heart chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: blood and mentions of torture, mild transphobia

Akio woke up in the motel room, which was weird because he was pretty sure that wasn’t where he fell asleep. He was on the floor, still wearing his bloody button-up, grimy bowtie, and stained lab coat. A grey towel that had once been white had been thrown over him in lieu of a blanket, and there was a small pile of clothes next to his head. His glasses sat on top. There was a  _ teeny  _ crack along the edge of one of the lenses. Great.

He sat up and yawned, scratching the back of his neck. Light was streaming in through a gap in the curtains. On the bed, the lump of blankets and pillows shifted. He put on his glasses so he could see.

Levitan and Ryan were tangled up together, pressed so close it was impossible to tell where one ended and the other began. Ryan had his limbs wrapped around Levitan, whose head was tilted back. They were snoring loudly.

The clock on the side table said 8:40 in little red LED digits. Akio’s clothes were gross and crusty and he was pretty sure he had blood and grime caked into every crevice in his body, so he gathered up the pile of clothing that had been left for him and headed into the bathroom.

The bathroom was tiny and the toilet had something green crusting in the cracks. The floor was a tiny bit sticky and there was a spider in the sink that he gave a respectful berth. Not because he was afraid or anything. Its legs were just… really long.

At this point, Akio wasn’t really in a position to be picky. He sighed, pulled off his clothes, put his glasses by the sink, and turned on the shower. The water was brown at first, but within a few seconds it ran clear. He grabbed the complimentary bar of soap and hopped in.

This shower had two settings; “South-Pole Iceberg” and “Searing Hot Lava”. After trying to find a tolerable temperature and failing, all while searing and freezing his naked ass, he settled on “hot lava”.

He scrubbed his hair, well aware that using soap in place of shampoo wasn’t a good idea, but he decided that he would prefer frizzy hair over greasy, sweaty hair. He washed his face, disgusted when he realized that he had dried blood caked into his eyebrows and around his nose. Gruesome.

After he was fairly certain that he’d gotten the blood and sweat off of his skin, he climbed out of the shower and towelled himself off. His mouth tasted sour, but he had no toothpaste. Eugh.

He discovered that the clothes he had been left consisted of a pair of mismatched socks (one that was white, and one that was yellow with green stripes), a pair of sweatpants that said “JUICY” right across the ass, and a red t-shirt that said “WELCOME TO THE NUT SHACK” with a picture of a cartoon pecan on the front, and on the back it said “ _ Winner of the 2012 Pecan Pie Eating Competition! _ ”.

It was a tough call between putting these horrendous articles on or dressing in blood-stained crusty clothing. After a few moments of pondering it, he decided to wear these ugly clothes until he could somehow get the blood out of his shirt and pants. He felt so  _ naked  _ without a sweater-vest or a bowtie.

He dressed and tried not to look at himself in the cracked mirror longer than a few seconds at most. Somehow, he felt  _ violated  _ when he wore these clothes. He decided that he would rather not know where they came from. 

When he opened the bathroom door, he could smell smoke.

Levitan had turned on the TV and they were sitting up in bed, smoking a cigarette. They were watching pro wrestling, and Ryan was still latched onto their side like a leech. His face was buried into their side and he was mumbling something about trains in his sleep.

“Hi,” Akio said in a toneless voice.

Levitan raised an eyebrow. “I’m surprised you didn’t run for it.”

He shrugged. “I have no money and no idea where we are. Also, I was covered in blood and I looked like a mess.”

“We’re in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, and you  _ still  _ look a mess. Ain’t nothin’ anyone can do ‘bout that, except a plastic surgeon, maybe.” They puffed out a perfect smoke ring and grinned. “Nice.”

“What’re we gonna do, now?” asked Akio.

“What’s this  _ we  _ shit?”

Akio pouted. “Fine. What’re  _ you  _ gonna do now while  _ I  _ witness?”

“Well,” they said, tapping the cigarette over the ashtray. “First, I’m gonna wait for my son to wake up, God only knows he needs his beauty sleep.”

“... Then, what?”

“Do you like your clothes?” they asked with a smirk. “I dug through Ryan’s stuff an’ picked out what I thought would fit. Most of his shirt fuckin’  _ swim  _ on him anyways, he’s so skinny.”

“I hate everything about my current situation,” said Akio flatly. “ _ Especially  _ my clothes.”

“Good, you ain’t s’posed to like it.” They put the cigarette between their lips and grabbed the remote, flipping through channels. “Keep in mind that every move you make and word you say is helpin’ to determine what I do with you.”

Akio walked over and plopped down into the chair next to the bed, on Levitan’s right side. He hated how powerless and pathetic he felt, but his day had been so  _ weird  _ at this point that he’d just accepted it and decided to be bitter about it.

“Alright,” he said tartly, “that’s fine. Theoretically, what combinations of words and movements would I need to perform in order for you to let me go? I took interpretive dance in grade school. Maybe I could write a sonnet, who knows?”

Levitan looked at him for a long few moments, then they snorted and laughed. “Nice gumption, nerd. It suits you.”

Akio was tired. He pushed his glasses up onto his forehead and rubbed his eyes. “Is this mutant thing the reason I never caught a cold my whole life?”

“Probably,” said Levitan. “What year were you born?”

He put his glasses back onto his nose. “Nineteen eighty-two. I’m thirty four.”

Levitan looked him up and down. “Yep, just what I thought. I’d have guessed that you were twenty five or so.”

“I look young,” he said with a shrug. “That happens, it doesn’t mean I’m a  _ freak _ .”

“That’s another side effect of the mutant thing, y’know,” said Levitan. “You stop ageing, right ‘round when you hit the prime o’ your life. I look pretty much exactly the same as the day I turned thirty.”

“Wait, then how old  _ are  _ you?”

Levitan bit their lip. “Uh… what year is it?”

“Twenty-sixteen.”

“ _ Really?  _ Holy shit, I thought it was two-thousand-twelve. Goddamn, I was gone a while.” They pinched their brow. “Well… fuck, I dunno. I can’t do math. How long ago was eighteen-ninety-five?”

Akio looked at them in disbelief. “Eighteen ninety- that was a hundred and twenty-one years ago!”

“Yeah that sounds ‘bout right. Old, huh?” They laughed. “Don’t worry, you ain’t gonna get any “wise old sage” bullshit outta me. Seems like I’m mentally stuck at thirty, too.”

Akio folded his arms. “I don’t believe you.”

“Well, I’m not real  _ concerned  _ with that,” they said, stubbing out the cigarette in the ash tray. “That don’t matter to me none. All I know is that a billion years in the future, when the earth is a dry, empty husk, when there ain’t nothin’ but desert all ‘round, I’ll still be there, sittin’ in the dirt playin’ solitaire ‘til the sun goes supernova. Nothin’ can kill me.  _ I can’t die. _ ”

Akio couldn’t really wrap his head around all this. “How do you know that?”

“Like I said, I  _ tried _ . I wasn’t the only one who tried to kill me, neither.” They lowered their voice so Ryan wouldn’t wake up and pointed a finger at Akio. “If you  _ ever  _ repeat any of this to my son I will tear your limbs off, are we clear?”

“Y-yessir,” he stuttered.

“Good,” said Levitan, the arm draped around Ryan pulling him in closer. “I’ll tell you  _ exactly  _ what your  _ scientist buddies  _ did to me. They gave me these powers, and they wanted to see my  _ limitations. _ They  _ tortured  _ me. They ripped my limbs off to watch ‘em grow back. They pulled out my organs to watch them reform in my open chest cavity. They blinded me, cut bits of me off, suffocated me, did just about every kind of damage you could imagine.”

“But-”

“ _ Shut it!  _ After they did all this, they decided I was too much trouble to keep ‘round. I’d killed half a dozen of ‘em when I broke my restraints or resisted the tranquilizer. I was a  _ liability. _ ”

Akio could believe that. He remembered the blood in their cell.

“They tried to kill me,” said Levitan, “God knows they did. With injections, bullets, fire, water, and finally  _ acid.  _ They tried to dissolve my corpse in  _ acid,  _ but it just… didn’t work!” They jabbed their finger at Akio again. “ _ You  _ may have thought that you were makin’ progress, bettering mankind, buildin’ the future, but you  _ weren’t.  _ You and everybody else in that fuckin’ building were fuckin’ up the lives of folks who didn’t ask for or deserve it for a few measly bucks and the satisfaction of corruption.”

Akio was sickened and horrified. He’d just started working there, he’d had no idea that all this was going on. “Holy shit.”

“Don’t ever breathe a word of any o’ that to my boy,” they said in a low voice that made the hairs stand up on the back of Akio’s neck. “He don’t need to know what I been through. I punched the walls until I broke my own  _ hands _ . I refused to quit fightin’ for my freedom, ‘cause I knew that if I gave up, they  _ won. _ You cannot  _ ever  _ try to justify your actions to me. When I look at you, all I see is a  _ monster. _ ” They flicked a piece of lint off the bedspread. “Funny, I guess. That’s prolly all you see when you look at me.”

Akio had no idea how to feel. His heart hammered in his chest, and his stomach was twisted into knots. “I-I could never do that to another human being,” he said.

“You’d be surprised what you can do if you’re eased into it. Or  _ indoctrinated,  _ rather.” Levitan clicked their tongue. “It’s how Nazi soldiers were able to commit such atrocities in the Second World War. It’s basic cult logic one-oh-ohe.”

“Are you comparing Monsoon to Auschwitz?” he asked.

“Well, I ain’t ‘bout to compare it to Disneyland, but the same principal applies.” They chuckled.

“Holy christ. I… didn’t know.”

“You’re an idiot, then,” they said, rolling their eyes. “When you went down into the lower levels and saw  _ actual human beings  _ locked up into cells, what was the first thought through your head?”

“Uh…” he said, stalling, “That “ _ I shouldn’t be down here, I might get fired _ ”?”

Wrong answer, apparently. Levitan gave him the most shocked and bewildered look he’d ever seen on another person.

“You’re the most selfish sonofabitch I’ve ever met in my whole damn life,” said Levitan. It was impossible to tell if they were in awe or if they were disgusted. Maybe both.

“Not  _ the  _ most selfish,” he said.

“See, that answer just supported my statement.” Levitan shook their head. “Wow. Just… I’m  _ disgusted  _ by you.”

Akio didn’t reply for a long time. He hadn’t noticed that Levitan had switched the TV over to Teletoon network. There was some old retro Bugs Bunny cartoon on, at the moment.

“Ooh, it’s the one where Bugs fucks with the opera singer for like twenty minutes,” said Levitan, relaxing back into the pillows. “It’s old, but it’s still  _ genius. _ ”

Akio could not figure Levitan out at all. It seemed like every piece of their personality contrasted everything else he’d already learned. How was it that this person could go from threatening to tear him limb from limb to laughing at the antics of Warner Brother’s characters in less than a minute? How is it that someone so cruel who clearly delights in tormenting others can have a son that loves them so much? 

Nothing about them made sense. He felt like he had to puzzle over this, pick them apart and solve this equation. It was the only thing he was any good at.

“I have a question,” he said.

“I might not answer,” they replied, not taking their eyes off of the TV screen.

“Are you a man or a woman?”

Levitan paused. They slowly looked over at him and frowned. “No.”

“No?” he asked, confused. “But that’s-”

Levitan cut him off. “Sir, I am currently enjoying a high quality television programme and cuddling with my son. I have been unable to do either of these things in five years, and I fully intend to make this moment last as long as I am able. However, I’m  _ not  _ above disturbing this rare peaceful moment in my life and punching your nose into your brain. Shut the fuck up.”

Akio shut his dumb mouth and leaned back into the chair to watch TV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading my original work! If you liked it, shoot me a comment!
> 
> I'm sorry I didn't get this up before you had to go to work, BST. I have failed. I shall commit seppuku because I have dishonoured my family.
> 
> HI AGAIN KALE


	10. The Hole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akio done fucked up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: threatens of torture

It had been five years since Levitan had eaten waffles. Next to cigarettes, waffles were probably their favourite indulgence.

The three of them were sitting in Denny’s. Ryan had a  _ massive  _ pile of food in front of him, consisting of sausages, bacon, pancakes, waffles, hash browns, smashed browns, with syrup and whipped cream on top of everything, and was shovelling it into his mouth faster than seemed humanly possible. Then again, Levitan remembered what it was like to be fifteen and have the appetite of ten men. It was so long ago.

Akio had picked out plain pancakes with no sides. Boring, but he mumbled something about having an upset stomach and Levitan didn’t care enough to ask. It was also stupid, because this was probably gonna be his last meal for a long, long time if Levitan had anything to say about it.

Levitan had their waffles, bacon, and black coffee. The daily paper was in their hand. A good breakfast, in their opinion. Nothing to complain about.

Ryan slugged back his second cup of coffee, gave a satisfied sigh, and wiped his mouth on his wrist. “Ah! So, now that we have some food in our bellies, we need to make some choices.”

“Couldn’t agree more,” said Akio tersely.

The cutlery on the table jumped and Akio yelped when Ryan kicked him.

“Knock it off, you two,” said Levitan, not looking up from the paper.

“Lev,” said Ryan, “what’re we gonna do with Dr. Fuckstick?”

“I have a  _ name. _ ”

Ryan waved him off. “And I don’t care, shitbiscuit. Lev?”

Levitan took another long sip of coffee and put it down. They folded up their paper and set it aside before folding their hands in front of them. “Alright. Well, I dunno if this is  _ obvious  _ or not, but we can’t exactly let you go.”

“It’s obvious,” said Akio dourly.

“No amount of interpretive dancing is gonna change that.”

“I see.”

“I don’t exactly  _ relish  _ the thought of takin’ you with us,” said Levitan. “I find you selfish, cowardly, and irritating. I don’t doubt for a single second that you’ll be nothin’ but a burden and a pain in the ass.”

“Thanks.”

Levitan picked up the last piece of bacon on their plate and popped it into their mouth. The tapped their chin thoughtfully as they chewed. “However, as demonstrated last night, we can’t exactly  _ kill  _ you, neither.”

“Right.”

“This is a dilemma.”

“Correct.”

“I have an idea,” said Ryan.

Levitan pointed at him. “Shoot.”

“We could give him cement shoes and drop him into the ocean or a lake,” he said. “That way, we’d get rid of him, with no chance of him ever being able to find Monsoon or call the cops or anything.”

Akio’s eyes went wide with shock. “Holy shit.” He glanced at the door as if he considered bolting, but the way they were seated at the booth, he’d have to climb over Ryan and he doubted that he could handle that kind of athletic exertion.

“Alternatively,” said Ryan. “We could bury him alive.”

Levitan thought about it, then they picked up their coffee, took a long sip, and put it down. “I’m proud of you, son.”

Ryan grinned. “Thanks, Lev.”

Akio wore an expression of disgust and mortification. “Holy shit, are you guys serious?”

“Pretty serious,” said Levitan, pushing their plate aside. “C’mon, we’re leaving.”

Akio found himself being pulled out of the booth. Levitan held the collar of his shirt in a strong grip while Ryan stole the silverware from the table, and the three of them left the restaurant before any of the staff noticed.

As they approached the station wagon, Akio felt Levitan’s hand grab onto the back of his neck. He realized what was coming, and he quickly tried to pull away. “No, don’t-”

Levitan smashed his forehead into the top of the car door and knocked him out.

_ Again. _

 

When Akio woke up, he was on his side and his hands and feet were once again bound in duct tape. As he opened his eyes, he discovered that he was back in the car, and they were rumbling down the highway. He was on the flattened-out back seat.

“You guys suck,” he said blearily. Once again, his glasses were missing. He could see them on the floor of the car.

“Lo! Sleeping beauty awakens!” Ryan laughed. “Lev, want me to tape his mouth?”

“Nah,” they said. “He’s gonna answer my questions, just for kicks. With every question he doesn’t answer, shoot him in the leg.”

“Cool!” Ryan grabbed the gun that Levitan handed to him.

Akio was sweating. “Have you considered that giving firearms to a minor is irresponsible?”

“He’s not five, he can handle a gun,” said Levitan. “First question. If you’re Japanese, how come you ended up working at Monsoon?”

“My genetics company in Kyoto offered me a chance to travel abroad. That’s it, really!”

“Fine, fine. Who were your parents?”

“I-I was a foster kid. No parents involved. I-I’m not even sure where I was born.”

Levitan gave a sigh and rolled their shoulders. “Do you remember any weird doctor’s appointments when you were a kid?”

“Not really, I only went to the doctor twice. Just for checkups, everything was fine.”

“Mm, seems like you were born with this mutation,” said Levitan thoughtfully. “Either another mutant like me got out and had a kid, or you were a genetically engineered fetus of some kind. Unless you were performing tests on yourself in the lab or there was an accident, Spiderman style?”

“Uh… no?”

“Alright.” They lazily spun the wheel. They drove from the smooth highway onto a bumpy backroad. “This look like a good place to bury someone.”

“We’ve got a coffin and shovels and everything!” said Ryan cheerily.

“ _ What?! _ ” In a panic, Akio tried to bite into the tape covering his wrists.

“Hey, quit it!” Ryan aimed for his thigh and shot, but Akio wriggled out of the way and the bullet skimmed his leg and planted itself into the seat behind him.

“ _ Yowch! _ ”

“I  _ swear to the Lord Almighty  _ that if y’all don’t  _ knock it the fuck off,  _ I’m turning this car around!” Levitan revved the gas to get over a large bump in the road.

Ryan huffed and sat back in his seat with folded arms and a smoking gun. “Y’all are so  _ lame. _ ”

Akio had pretty much given up hope. “So. Uh. Anything else?”

“Not really,” said Levitan. “There’s nothin’ much you have that’s useful to me. I was just curious ‘bout where you came from.”

“Oh. Don’t you want info for… strategies, and such?” he asked.

“Nope,” they said. “I’m done. It’s over.”

“What?” said Ryan, sounding aghast.

“I’m just… kinda done with all o’ this, y’know?” They shut off the car engine and sighed. “I’ve spent the better part of my life fightin’ you and your company. I just… I wanna disappear. At first when I broke out, I was mad and I wanted revenge, but… now… I wanna get as far away from that place as possible.”

Ryan looked shocked. “You mean… you’re giving up?”

“Not givin’ up,” said Levitan. “Quitting.” They opened the car door and climbed out, slamming it shut behind them.

Ryan looked upset. He quickly climbed out of the car after Levitan, kicking the door closed behind him.

Akio didn’t have to wait long before he was pulled out of the car and thrown over Levitan’s shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

“ _ Get off! _ ” he said, trying to kick out and failing.

“Look for a good spot to bury a twink scientist,” said Levitan.

Ryan didn’t move, at first. “But… you’re  _ quitting? _ ”

“Ryan,” said Levitan, digging their fingers into Akio’s thigh. “There’s  _ nothin’  _ I can do. I tried  _ everything _ , and I am not willing to put us in danger, anymore. It ain’t the right thing to do, I know it. Lord knows I hate bein’ selfish like that. There’s lotsa good people in that place that need our help, but…” They sighed. “You got  _ me  _ out, kid. One person. That’s a lot more than I ever managed to do, even with all my years fightin’ against ‘em, all my plans, and folks lendin’ a helpin’ hand.”

“But-”

“Ryan, we got  _ nothin’ _ . We got no resources, no people on our side, even  _ this  _ loser don’t got much.” They jabbed a thumb at Akio. “How would you feel about Australia?”

“Australia? But-”

“It’s a country I never been to where I don’t gotta learn a new language. We can… I dunno, hijack a plane or somethin’. I’m just… real tired, Ryan.”

Ryan sighed and kicked his feet on the gravel road. “Fine. I’ll go look for a good spot.”

“Atta boy. It don’t have to be too big, just flat an’ soft.”

Akio craned his neck and saw the pine box strapped to the roof of the car. “Holy shit. Um.” He was thinking fast. He was no Beatrix Kiddo, he wouldn’t be able to dig himself up if he was buried alive.

He’d be stuck there.

_ Forever. _

He started to struggle. Levitan dropped him down on the ground without warning.

“Don’t be like that,” they said.

“Y-you’re not  _ really  _ gonna b-bury me alive… a-are you?” he said, his voice shaking.

“Trapped underground in a tiny box? I dunno, seems kinda poetic, don’t it?”

Yeah. It kinda did.

“A-are you really gonna give up on fighting us… them… Monsoon?” he asked elegantly.

Levitan leaned against the car, arms folded. “What can I do? I’m just one person. Even when I was at my prime, there wasn’t much I could do on my own.”

“Monsoon New York is  _ huge, _ ” he said, “but the other branches are smaller, maybe you could tackle those, instead or to start with?”

Levitan froze. They slowly looked down at him, eyes wide. “The other  _ what,  _ now?”

Akio knew that he’d latched onto something good. He stuck with it. He put on an incredulous tone. “You didn’t know? In the last ten years, Monsoon opened a branch outside of Los Angeles, and another branch in Austin.”

“That one’s  _ still there? _ ” said Levitan. Their hands were shaking with rage. They jammed their hands into their pockets and fumbled for their pack of cigarettes. It took a few tries to light one, and they started to suck it down fast. “I-I thought it had  _ moved,  _ not-”

“No,” said Akio, wincing sympathetically. “Sorry. The company’s gotten a lot bigger in the last decade.”

“Son of a  _ bitch! _ ” Levitan kicked the car, right next to Akio’s head. Their steel-toed boot left a dent in the door. “Are you  _ serious? _ ”

“Well, what do you care?” said Akio shakily. “I thought you quit.”

“I  _ did  _ quit,” they replied testily. They leaned against the car again, arms folded. “I’m just  _ mad. _ ”

“Of course,” he replied, his tone dripping pity and sympathy. “But you know, the LA branch is quite a bit smaller.”

“And I should care ‘cause…?”

“Well,” he said, his mind racing as he tried to come up with a convincing enough lie. “If you were able to get a few people out of there or something, you could start to form a team or something to fight against the company… or something.”

“Tried that,” said Levitan. “Ended with me quitting when Ryan was born.”

“Well, Ryan’s old enough to fight, now,” he said.

Levitan scowled, and Akio knew he said something wrong. “Are you suggestin’ that I put my son in harm’s way?” they said, standing in front of him with arms tightly folded.

“No! W-well… not more than he already has?”

Levitan glared at him. “I’m sick of your shit. I cannot  _ wait  _ to stick you in the ground.”

Akio tried to keep his cool, but he was freaking out. He was practically hyperventilating when Ryan jogged over.

“Found a good spot,” he said, grabbing the shovels from the car. “Let’s get digging.”

Akio was picked up and tossed over Levitan’s shoulder, again. He watched the gravel road pass under him as the blood rushed to his head. He was thinking fast, how could he persuade Levitan that he was useful?

Wait. Ryan still wanted to fight Monsoon. If he could persuade him even a little, Levitan might be more inclined to follow his idea. Levitan still wanted to help people, if he could just-

Once again, Akio was dumped onto the ground. This time, right into a bush.

Ryan handed Levitan a shovel and stuck his into the ground. There were no trees around and his shovel sank in smoothly.

“Okay, well,” said Akio, continuing on with his last line of thought. “If you don’t want, Ryan doesn’t have to be involved. Listen, the Los Angeles branch is really small, only about a hundred employees work there, less than fifty test subjects.” Well, he really had no idea. All he knew is that it was a bit smaller than the one in New York.

“ _ I don’t give a shit, _ ” said Levitan, brandishing the shovel at him. “Shut the  _ fuck  _ up before I decorate that bush with your brains!”

Ryan leaned on his shovel. “What do you mean the “Los Angeles Branch”?”

“Squirt, leave it,” growled Levitan, digging the shovel viciously into the earth.

“Oh yeah,” said Akio earnestly. “Monsoon’s got more than one location. LA and Austin, last I heard.”

“That’s crazy!” said Ryan, scratching the back of his neck. “I-I didn’t think that was  _ true. _ ”

“It is,” he said hastily, ignoring the death glare he was getting from Levitan. “In  _ fact _ , the LA branch is quite a bit smaller. Easier to tackle, if you get my drift.”

Ryan had stopped digging entirely. Levitan was doing enough digging for the two of them, wearing the angriest look on their face that Akio had ever seen.

“Really?” said Ryan, sounding interested.

“Yes,” he said. “In fact, I used to work there.”

That was a big fat lie. Akio knew  _ nothing  _ about this other branch except for the fact that it existed, but it was his only chance to not be buried alive.

“Huh,” said Ryan, scratching his chin.

“Don’t… you… dare…” warned Levitan, shovelling even more dirt out of the hole. They worked fast, it was small, but deep enough for someone to fit if they curled up.

“I could help-” started Akio.

“Shut the fuck up!” snapped Levitan. “Fuck the pine box, it’s too good for you.” They put their boot on his chest and kicked him into the hole they’d dug.

“ _ Augh! _ ” Akio flailed and tried to kick out, but he fell ass-first into the pit. “No!  _ Please! _ ”

Levitan nudged his legs so they were properly in the hole and flicked some ash from their cigarette onto him, just for kicks. “Any last words?”

Akio’s heart was hammering. “Wait! P-please don’t! I-I know the layout of the LA Monsoon facility! I know how the shifts work!”

“Don’t care.” Levitan started to shovel dirt onto him. “See y’all in hell.”

Akio’s panic was reaching its climax. “It was the first place I worked at before I transferred over to New York, so I know it  _ really, really  _ well!”

“Fascinating,” said Levitan. They shovelled another pile of dirt into Akio’s lap.

“Lev, do we really have to bury him in  _ my  _ clothes?” asked Ryan.

Levitan huffed. Another clump of dirt landed on Akio.  “First of all, what he’s wearing is an ugly atrocity. Second, I don’t  _ really  _ wanna see this guy in his tighty-whities.”

Akio flushed red. “How’d you know I-”

Levitan rolled their eyes dramatically. “For fuck’s sake, it’s written all over your face. Of  _ course  _ you wear tighty-whities.” They shovelled some more dirt onto him.

“ _Please!_ ” he shouted, his voice feeling hoarse. “D-don’t do this! If you’re headed to Australia, it isn’t even out of your way! I-I wanna help do one good thing to repair the damage I’ve caused!”

Levitan paused. “Do you, now?”

Well… no, not really. However, he  _ did  _ want to save his own skin so he said, “Yeah. I-I was just thinking about all the people who are trapped there. I mean, we can’t save everyone, but we can at least try, right?”

Seems like he hit some kind of soft spot for Levitan. They stopped digging and leaned on their shovel.

“He’s got a point, Lev,” said Ryan, still leaning on his shovel. “It’s not even out of our way.”

Levitan puffed on their cigarette and tapped their foot, hand resting on the shovel.

There was a long pause. Ryan started whistling again. Akio barely dared to breathe. His life was hanging in the balance, and he desperately didn’t want to tip the scale in the wrong direction.

“What’s your end game, aside from trying to avoid being buried?” asked Levitan. “You could’a offered us money.”

Shit, he could have, but he was in too deep. “I should… redeem myself. You’re right! I’m utterly selfish, and… I should change that, shouldn’t I?”

“Don’t ask me,” they said with a shrug. “I’m fine with  _ my  _ sense o’ morality.”

“You’re trying to bury me alive.”

“And I’ve accepted this flaw in my person,” they said with their hand on their chest.

Akio was sweating. His legs were covered in dirt. He had to get out of this.

“Let’s make a deal,” said Levitan. “If you help us free the poor saps at the San Francisco facility, you can go back to Japan. I’ll even take you there myself.”

“Yes, of co-”

“ _ But _ , if your plan fails, you’ll be right back here.” They tapped their shovel on the dirt. “This hole ain’t goin’ nowhere.”

He nodded hastily. “Of course.”

“I have some conditions,” said Levitan, leaning their elbow on the shovel and holding up their fingers. “ _ First,  _ you do everything I say, no matter how crazy it sounds.”

Akio  _ really  _ didn’t like the sounds of that, but okay. Not like he had any choice. “Okay.”

Levitan held up another finger. “ _ Second, _ you will treat the two of us with common decency. If I get any bad attitude or stupid bullshit from you, you’re gonna go  _ right back _ in this hole.”

“Understood.”

“ _ Third, _ ” they said, holding up three fingers, “If you threaten us, abandon us, snitch on us, screw us over, or  _ lie _ to us, the deal is off and you’re goin’  _ back in the hole. _ Except I might just peg you full’a bullets or waterboard you, first.  _ Are we clear? _ ”

He was so fucked.

“Okay. It’s a deal.”

Levitan pulled out their switchblade and cut loose the tape from his hands. They stowed the knife away.

“Let’s shake on it,” they said, holding out their hand.

Akio took it.

What choice did he have?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated!


	11. Snowfall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio gets groceries. It snows overnight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: allusions to mental illness and child abuse

In Akio’s mind, this was going a lot better than it could have gone, potentially. They were in a car, driving across the country to Los Angeles, and he wasn’t stuck in a hole. Yet.

Ryan had taken control of the radio and had changed the station to punk rock. “London Calling” was blasting through the speakers.

Akio looked out through the window at the passing signs and billboards. A green sign that said “ _ Cambridge 10 Miles _ ” zipped by. He gave a small sigh. This whole venture was  _ really  _ not gonna end well for him, not at all.

It was starting to get dark out. There were fewer cars on the road. Akio was desperately trying to think his way out of this situation, but at this point… he was just so tired. He didn’t have any energy left to think. He hadn’t eaten since breakfast, he hadn’t slept more than four hours at a time in over a year, and he was emotionally worn down to a thread.

“We’ll stop here for the night,” said Levitan after almost two hours of silence. “We’re gonna have to get cash, though. We’re not gonna be able to run out on the bills all the time.”

“Alright,” said Ryan. “Not a problem.”

“We need food,” said Levitan.

“Look, there’s a Safeway,” said Ryan, pointing out the window. “It’s still open. Let’s go in there.”

“Mmkay.” Levitan pulled the car into the parking lot. There were about ten other cars there, all in a row, and most of them were in employee spaces. They parked close to the store and climbed out, followed by Ryan.

Akio waited, unsure about what to do.

Levitan tapped on the window. “Comin’?”

“Uh, yeah.” He unbuckled his seatbelt and climbed out of the car, shutting the door behind him.

The fluorescent lights in the store were so bright. Akio’s eyes were tired, and  _ he  _ was tired, and he was too tired to put up with any bullshit.

It was a surreal experience to watch Levitan grab a basket and drape it over their arm as if they were a normal person who went and bought groceries on a regular basis. “What should we get?”

“Bread, peanut butter, lunch meat, mayonnaise,” said Ryan, ticking the list off of his fingers. “Soda crackers, shampoo, toilet paper, toothpaste,  _ maybe  _ shaving stuff but it isn’t necessary…”

“You’re startin’ to get a lil’ scruffy, kiddo,” said Levitan, pinching his chin.

He swatted their hand away, laughing. “Haha, funny. I think we also need more clothes, but that’ll have to happen tomorrow.”

“Pray tell,” said Akio. “How’re we gonna  _ pay  _ for all of this?”

“Leave  _ that  _ to me,” said Ryan. He dashed off before he could be asked, again.

“Alright, wise guy,” said Levitan, shifting the basket on their arm. “Let’s get to it.”

They walked down the first aisle to get condiments. Akio kept an eye out for food that would travel well, maybe apples and oranges would be a good idea, then he noticed the strange look that Levitan had on their face. They couldn’t take their eyes off of the shelves.

“Damn,” they said quietly.

“What?” he asked.

“There’s just… so many  _ choices. _ ” They scratched the back of their neck. “I mean, why does any sensible person need  _ five  _ different brands of mayonnaise?” They picked up a jar in each hand. “They have the same stuff in ‘em an’ all, but just…” They sighed. “Is there a difference?”

Akio was sensing that this was going to be a problem. “Uh… maybe I could pick them out?”

“Oh, you’d love that, wouldn’t you?” they snapped. They were still staring at the mayonnaise.

“I’ve tried them both,” he lied. He pointed to the one in her left. “That one’s better.”

“Really?” they asked skeptically.

“Yeah. It is.”

“Okay, whatever you say.” They put the other one back.

This was gonna take awhile. They walked over to the peanut butter section, and this was even  _ worse. _ Levitan scratched their head over this new conundrum, taking in each and every brand that the store offered.

“C’mon, it’s just  _ peanut butter, _ ” said Akio.

“This isn’t like the  _ mayonnaise _ ,” said Levitan firmly. “Look, first we can choose between  _ sizes,  _ an’ how much peanut butter we want. Tough enough call! What if we buy too little or too much? Ain’t good for nobody.”

“Levitan, it’s just-”

“Then there’s chunky versus smooth, which is a  _ whole  _ differen’ ballgame. I mean, chunky is  _ nice  _ ‘cause of the  _ variety, _ but smooth is all creamy an’ the nuts don’t get stuck in your teeth-”

“It’s  _ peanut butter!  _ Just pick a type and-”

“Wait, what the heck is this?” They picked up another jar, looking baffled. “Peanut butter without the peanuts? What kind’a world is-”

“Levitan,” said Akio in the most no-nonsense voice he could muster. “It’s peanut butter. The world won’t end if you pick the wrong kind, not that there even  _ is  _ a wrong kind. All peanut butter is delicious, except for this shit.” He plucked the peanut-free peanut butter from their hand and replaced it with a large jar of chunky stuff. “There. This is fine. We can get different stuff later if it turns out to be shit.”

Levitan looked skeptical. “You sure?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Don’t stress yourself out over shopping, isn’t life hard enough as it is?”

Levitan shook their head and pinched the bridge of their nose. “Right, right, of course. I dunno what I was thinking.”

“It happens,” he said with a shrug. He had a feeling that there was something bigger going on in Levitan’s head that he didn’t understand, but he didn’t really care enough to ask. It wasn’t any of his business.

Levitan seemed to relax a little more after that. They picked out some apples and oranges to get as well.

“Hey, y’all!” Ryan jogged up with a grin. “I found somethin’!”

“Oh yeah?” Levitan said, dropping the bag of oranges in their basket.

“Here!” Ryan handed them a wad of cash, at least eighty bucks.

“Holy crap,” they said, eyes wide. “Where’d you  _ find  _ this?”

“Psh, in some guy’s wallet.”

Levitan raised an eyebrow. “... Okay.”

Ryan saw their look. “Don’t be like that. How’d you  _ think  _ I made it for the last five years?”

Levitan looked guilty. They put the cash in their pocket. “Right, I get it.”

“Here’s the crackers and the bread,” said Ryan, dropping a box of crackers, packaged ham, cheese slices, and two bags of bread into the basket. “I think that’s it.”

“But what about all that other stuff you said we needed?” said Akio.

Ryan waved him off. “No worries, I’ve got it taken care of!” His rain jacket looked really… bulky.

Well, Akio didn’t really care, just so long as they didn’t get caught.

Levitan gave him a doubtful look, sighed, and headed up to the front counter to pay for their items.

Akio jammed his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants. He still hated his entire outfit with every fibre of his soul, but instead of just hating it for bad fashion taste, he was starting to hate it because it was  _ fucking cold outside.  _ It was November. He wanted a jacket, a sweater, or  _ something _ .

The store clerk didn’t seem to care how shifty the three of them looked. Levitan’s bomber jacket had very suspicious stains, and Ryan’s coat was  _ way  _ too lumpy to be normal, and Akio knew that he looked like someone had thrown him into a salvation army donation box and the clothes had stuck to him with static cling.

What a fantastic trio.

The cashier eyed Ryan up. Levitan didn’t seem to notice and Ryan was putting up a facade of being casual and was therefore looking up at nothing. Akio had no idea how he was going to survive these two.

“Hey, kid,” said the cashier. He was a grumpy older guy with a no-nonsense attitude about him.

Ryan widened his eyes. He made a show of looking around, then he pointed to himself. “Me?”

“Yeah, you,” said the cashier, dropping the last of Levitan’s groceries into the plastic bag. “Open up your coat.”

“No,” said Ryan. He turned on his heel and walked out.

The cashier grabbed the little handheld radio on the register. “Security to the front, please!” he said through the loudspeakers.

“ _ Crap! _ ” Levitan grabbed the plastic bags without paying and ran for it. 

Akio ran after the two of them. “There’s no security! It’s a  _ Safeway! _ What kind of security could they have?!”

Levitan pitched the groceries into the car, Ryan slid in, and Akio slammed the door shut behind him. Before he got the door closed, Levitan was already speeding out of the parking lot.

“Well, that was super pointless,” said Akio. He shivered. “Brr.”

“Cold?” asked Levitan as they slowed around a corner. It was cold, and the roads were a little slippery.

“Y-yeah. Sorta.”

“Dig through that duffel bag,” said Ryan as he produced three different kinds of shampoo, four boxes of razors, and a dozen rolls of toilet paper from the insides of his raincoat. “There’s probably something in there.”

Akio found the duffel bag in question. It was khaki and had suspicious stains on it that he decided not to think about. He rummaged through and found an oversized longsleeve shirt that said “The Montreal Canadiens” on it in red letters that could potentially work, and an ugly Christmas sweater that had tree baubles on it and said “Balls” in fancy curlicues. ( [ http://www.uglychristmassweater.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/balls-ornament-ugly-christmas-sweater.jpg ](http://www.uglychristmassweater.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/balls-ornament-ugly-christmas-sweater.jpg) )

He went with the “Canadiens” one. If it got colder, he would surrender to the “Balls” sweater. It smelled a little bit like mildew, but it was okay.

“Let’s find a motel,” said Levitan. They yawned. “Today was  _ long. _ ”

“You’re telling me,” said Ryan.

Akio pinched the bridge of his nose. “Aren’t we all forgetting that  _ one  _ of us was  _ almost buried alive? _ ”

Levitan snorted. “Right, right.”

“You aren’t even sorry.”

“Nope, not one bit.” Levitan chuckled. “I do like that gumption, pint-sized. It suits you.”

“I’m not  _ pint-sized. _ ”

“Uh, yeah you are,” said Ryan. “What’re you, like five foot four?”

“I’ll have you know,” he said, “that I’m a hundred and sixty-seven  _ point five  _ centimetres tall.”

Ryan quickly did the math in his head. “So… five foot five?”

Akio glowered. “Yes.”

Levitan laughed, from deep in their chest. They slapped the steering wheel. “ _ Nice. _ ”

Akio sighed and leaned back into the seat. He could tolerate this until he could figure out a way out, he supposed.

 

Never had a bed felt so good to Akio in his whole entire life.

The motel room had two queens, which was pretty typical. It was small and cramped and smelled like cigarettes, but what did they care? Akio had shucked his shoes and socks and his sweater as soon as he entered the motel room, then he hopped up onto the bed and pulled the sheets over himself immediately because it was  _ freezing  _ in there. He would have fallen asleep immediately if he weren’t starving.

“Heater’s busted.” Levitan thumped their fist onto the radiator. “Squirt, you got anythin’ in that magic trick box o’ yours that could fix it?”

“I could pop it open and take a look,” he said, “but if it’s missing parts, I won’t be able to do nothin’.”

“That’s fine, just give it your best.” Levitan turned to Akio and held up the bag of groceries. “Wanna help make sandwiches? Bread won’t keep.”

“Alright, sure.” Akio put his socks back on and walked over to the tiny desk where Levitan had dropped the bag full of sandwich stuff. “Peanut butter or ham and cheese?”

“Ham and cheese. Those won’t keep long.”

“Right, sure thing.” Akio pulled out the mayonnaise jar, then he realized something. “We have no knife.”

“Yes we do.” Levitan pulled out their switchblade. “Here.” They handed it to him without another thought and pulled out a few slices of bread.

“Thanks?” he said, like it was a question.

“Sure.” Levitan pulled out a butterfly knife, did a few fancy flips with it, and clicked it into place before using it to spread mayonnaise on bread.

“I have a question,” he said.

“I don’t like your tone.” They put ham and cheese on the sandwich and closed it. “But by all means.”

“Is it just me or are you being… nicer, somehow?”

“Don’t get your tighty-whities in a knot or nothin’. I’m just bein’ civil.”

“Right,” he said looking down at his sandwich. 

He was still working out how to get out of this situation. He would have to wait a little while longer, until Levitan let their guard down, then he’d take what little cash they had, steal the car, and… fuck, he didn’t know. Go back to New York, get the stuff from his apartment, and go back to Japan so he could forget this whole thing, maybe? How likely was  _ that  _ to happen?

“Crap,” he said suddenly.

Levitan gave him a sidelong look. “What?”

“I forgot that I had a goldfish. It’s probably dead, now.”

“Darn. Sorry.”

“It’s fine. It was bound to happen, sometime.”

“I’ve never had a pet.”

Akio was surprised. “Really? Never?”

“Well,” they said slowly. “I grew up on a farm, but the animals weren’t  _ pets _ . There was this one cat I liked a whole lot, but I left home and never saw it again. That’s about it.”

“Pets are pretty fun,” said Akio, slapping together another sandwich. “I never had one for myself, I’m a busy guy, but when I was in foster care one of the families had a dog who’d sleep on my bed almost every night.”

“That’s nice,” said Levitan, putting the meat away.

“Yeah, he was the only one in the whole house who could stand me.” It was supposed to be a joke, it had gotten a laugh before, but when he said it like that he sounded kinda pathetic.

Levitan hissed through their teeth. “Hell if I don’t know what  _ that’s  _ like.”

Akio wiped the knife off on the plastic bag. He held it in his fingers for a minute, considering what he should do. He was tempted to put it into his pocket for safekeeping.

“Thanks,” said Levitan, holding out their hand.

“No problem.” He reluctantly passed it back.

“Can’t fix the heater,” said Ryan, dropping the tools back into his bag. “It’s practically gutted. It’s gonna be a cold night.” He grabbed a sandwich off of the table and munched it down in a few quick bites before grabbing another one.

“Let’s see what’s on TV,” said Levitan, grabbing the remote and sitting on the bed. They flicked through a few channels before they came up on Teletoon again. “Ooh, the Flintstones are on.”

“Eugh,” said Ryan, sitting next to them. “That stuff is for kids. Let’s watch somethin’ else.”

Levitan glanced over at him. “You’re grounded.”

“ _ What? _ ” he said. “For not liking  _ Teletoon? _ ”

“Yep. Eat your dinner.”

Ryan opened his mouth to protest, but he sighed and decided against it. He took a bite from his sandwich and grumbled to himself while he chewed.

Akio sat on the bed and watched this exchange play out. He couldn’t help it. He chuckled.

Levitan shot him a look. “ _ What? _ ”

“Nothing,” he said, looking down at his sandwich. “Today was just… a really weird day, that’s all.”

“You bet.”

“Two days ago, if you asked me what I would be doing by now, I’d probably say getting ready to leave work and go get drunk.” He chuckled. “It’s just… weird, that’s all.”

“What day is it?”

“Tuesday, I think.”

“You get hammered on work nights?” asked Levitan skeptically.

“That’s pretty normal for where I come from,” he said with a shrug.

“I know that this sounds pretty lame comin’ from me,” said Levitan, not taking their eyes off of the TV, “but that’s fucked up. I have a very well-rounded knowledge of what it’s like to be fucked up.”

“Huh.” Akio didn’t say anything to that. It was cold, so when he was done his sandwich, he buried himself in blankets and fell asleep almost instantly.

 

When Akio woke up, it was barely light out and the room was freezing. The door was open a crack, and Levitan was missing from the bed. He stepped into his shoes and tiptoed over to the door.

Levitan was outside, smoking a cigarette and leaning against one of the support posts. An inch and a half of fresh snow covered the parking lot, a few lone flakes still falling from the sky.

“Hi,” he said.

“Hey,” the replied, looking over their shoulder at him. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”

“No, I woke up on my own.” He leaned against the other pole, his hands deep in the pockets of his sweatpants. “What’re you doing up? It’s still dark out.”

“Eh, bad dreams.” They puffed a smoke ring. “The usual.”

“How bad?”

“Ever wake up in a cold sweat?”

He thought back to when he was younger, after he’d had a crappy foster home. He’d had a hard time sleeping for almost a year. “Yeah, but not in a long time.”

“Well, most mornings are like that for me.” They took another drag on the cigarette. “You get used to it.”

“You shouldn’t have to. That’s kinda fucked up.”

They shrugged. “What can you do?” They sighed. “It sure is pretty out, thought.”

Akio couldn’t argue, there. The light of the streetlamps glittered on the fresh snow, that was still untouched by people at this time of morning. The sky was a deep indigo, and a few stars were visible. It was quiet and peaceful, the only sounds being traffic on the distant highway and the occasional caw of a crow.

“Yeah,” he said. “It is. Chilly, though.” He blew out a breath and watched it cloud in front of him.

A snowball hit him right in the ear.

“ _ Yowch! _ ” he hissed, trying to keep his voice down.

Levitan feigned innocence. “Now where on earth did  _ that  _ come from?” they said in their sweetest voice, stubbing out their cigarette on the post.

Akio grinned and swatted the snow off. “Oh, you’re gonna get it!” He reached down and scooped up a handful before crunching it into a ball and throwing it at Levitan.

They ducked out of the way easily. “Nice shot,  _ loser. _ ” They jogged out into the parking lot and hid behind a red toyota. “If it weren’t for gravity, you couldn’t hit the ground!”

Akio grabbed another snowball and tossed it lightly up into the air. There was a satisfying splat and a loud “ _ Hey! _ ”, and Akio pumped his fists in the air.

“Victory!” he cried in an enthusiastic whisper. It was still early in the morning.

Levitan poked their face over the top of the car and Akio fought back a loud laugh. The snowball had landed right on top of their head.

“It’s  _ on, _ ” they said, scooping the snow from their short blonde hair and forming into another ball. 

They pelted it over the top of the car, and the snowball smacked into the post beside Akio, making him squeal. He quickly formed another snowball and tried to tiptoe around the car in order to sneak up on them.

“ _ Gotcha! _ ” he said, hopping around to the other side.

Levitan wasn’t there. He whipped around, only to get a snowball smack in the middle of his forehead. His feet slipped out from under him, he stumbled, and he landed on his ass.

Levitan laughed loudly and tossed a snowball casually up and down with one hand. “Defeated so soon? That’s  _ weak. _ ”

Before he got to his feet, he threw the snowball he’d made up and hit them right in the stomach. It didn’t wind them, but it did surprise them enough for them to drop their snowball right into his lap. He pulled back and nailed them right in the shoulder, the powder exploding into their face.

“ _ Augh! _ Cold!” They shook the snow off, then reached down and gathered up a pile with no intention of making a snowball. “Hold still you lil’-”

“ _ No! _ ” Akio scrambled back and got to his feet, diving behind another car to hide. He listened carefully for Levitan’s footsteps crunching in the snow, and he thought they were walking around the car to get him… until an enormous pile of snow was dumped right on top of his head.

“ _ Eep! _ ” Akio tried to brush it off as quickly as possible. Levitan snuck up on him, grabbed his collar and shoved more snow down the back of his shirt. 

Akio  _ screeched.  _ “ _ Ahh!  _ No, no, no! Not cool!”

Levitan laughed, then let out an unbecoming squeal when Akio shoved some of the snow down the front of their shirt. “ _ Fuck! _ Well, there’s only one way to win this.”

Akio wondered what the hell they meant until Levitan let their full weight rest on him. His knees buckled, and the two of them flopped to the icy ground.

“ _ Holy shit, you’re heavy! _ ” he gasped out. He tried to claw his way out from under them, but was a bit like having the weight of a sofa on top of his back.

“Say uncle,” said Levitan with a stupid grin.

“ _ Never! _ ”

Levitan pushed his face into the snow. “ _ Say it! _ ”

He spluttered and spat out the gritty snow. “ _ Augh!  _ Uncle, uncle!”

Levitan rolled off of him, laughing. “Boo, that was  _ easy _ .”

Akio’s ribs felt slightly cracked. He got to his feet, shivering. “You are an actual  _ giant. _ How tall are you?”

“Six foot, but the boots add another inch. People think I’m taller a lot ‘cause I have big shoulders.” They sat up and stood. “Damn, I’m freezing.”

“Me too. Fuck, I’m soaking wet.”

“We did not think this through,” said Levitan.

“You started it,” said Akio.

“That I did,” they said with a grin. “Well, it was worth it. Let’s head inside.”

When Akio closed the door behind him, he quickly shucked off his sweatpants, sweater, and shirt before climbing into bed without looking at Levitan. As an afterthought, he reached into the duffel bag and pulled on the “Balls” sweater.

Lev had swapped out their cargo pants for jeans and had climbed back into bed with Ryan. Their hair was a little wet, but the jacket had more or less protected them from the snow.

“Let’s get a lil’ more shuteye, huh?” said Levitan.

“Sure,” he said, but he doubted he’d get back to sleep. He never pictured Levitan as the sort who’d start snowball fights. It was… fun.

God, he felt like shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading my original work! It's two in the morning and I am dead rip me
> 
> Comments are greatly appreciated


	12. One of Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Travelling montage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: blood and violence, mild body dysphoria

Levitan browsed the racks at the thrift shop, trying to keep their head steady and stay focussed. Their mission was to find some shirts to add to the duffel bag of clothes in the back of the car. It had been two days, and the tank top they were wearing was already gross and grimy.

Once again, they were staggered by the amount of  _ choices  _ they had.

They hadn’t counted on how much the outside world would  _ overwhelm  _ them with all the  _ people  _ and  _ noises  _ and  _ colours. _ Every little detail from crows on the telephone lines to the fibres of their shirt were new and fascinating and required attention. As exciting as it all was, it was almost too much to deal with.

Levitan had the basket over one arm. They felt the fabric of one shirt with their hand, then the fabric of the next. Jesus, how were they supposed to make their mind up about all this? A tiny part of them wished that someone would hand them the clothes to wear and take the choice away from them. It would be a whole lot simpler.

They shook their head.  _ No.  _ They  _ had  _ a choice, and they should take full advantage of it. 

They were just anxious they’d make the wrong decision.

“Lev, check this sweet shit out!” Ryan held up a grey T-shirt that said “ _ I am Queer and Full of Fear _ ” in hot pink letters.

Levitan snorted. “No way that’ll fit  _ me _ , Squirt.”

“It’s not  _ for  _ you.”

Levitan raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Uh,” he said, looking embarrassed. “Surprise?”

Levitan chuckled. “Try it on first.”

“Sweet, alright.” Ryan dashed off.

Levitan turned back to the shirt rack and decided to approach this as logically as possible. They couldn’t keep stalling whenever they encountered a decision between apples and oranges. They’d have to shake this off.

First, they eliminated anything that didn’t fit them, so anything below a men’s Extra Large was immediately taken from the pile of choices. They eliminated the women’s shirts, they never really cared for that shape, and they ignored all the dress shirts. This brought the choices down to about fifty t-shirts out of the five hundred that were in that thrift store. Manageable.

There were still  _ way  _ too many choices, so Levitan decided to go through the rack and pick out the designs they liked. They would get  _ five  _ shirts, and that would be  _ it. _

They started to pick their way through the rack. They ended up choosing one that had Fritz the cat on it, one that had a tiny alien on the right breast and the words “ _ I Want to Believe _ ” written on it, a plain black tank top, and two plain white shirts. They also grabbed a red flannel, just because it was cold.

There. They were rather proud of themselves for handling that.

They walked over to the underwear section and, glancing around them to make sure nobody saw, grabbed two sports bras and a regular plain one, burying it under their clothes before tossing some boxer briefs on top.

“Hey.”

Levitan almost jumped out of their skin at the sound of Akio’s voice. They shot him a glare. “ _ What? _ ”

Akio took a small step back. He was wearing a jean jacket and had a basket full of clothes. Levitan caught sight of a few pairs of boxers right at the top, almost suspiciously displayed for them to see. 

“I’m ready to go?” he said.

Levitan had several questions to ask him, namely regarding the boxers, but in the end they decided not to bother with them.

“What’s with the coat?” they asked, flicking their finger at it.

“I like it,” he said. It wasn’t bad. It was a little baggy on him, and there were patches sewn into the shoulders of the jacket with old band names like “The Eagles” and “The Sex Pistols”. Above the breast pocket, there was a small embroidered skull.

“Suits you,” they said. They grabbed a pair of jeans off the rack and dropped it in their basket. “Alright, I’m done. Let’s go pay.”

“Where’s Ryan?”

“Haven’t the faintest,” they said as they walked up to the front. “I’m sure he’ll be along.” Akio followed behind them.

As the cashier was running their items through the checkout, Levitan saw that Ryan was already outside, sitting on the hood of the car, playing a gameboy.

Levitan sighed. They paid for the clothes, grabbed the plastic bags, and headed out to the parking lot. The snow crunched underfoot as they walked over to the car.

“I thought you wanted that T-shirt,” said Levitan.

Ryan stuck the gameboy in his pocket. He unzipped the jacket and held it open. He was already wearing the shirt.

Levitan sighed. “Should’a guessed.” They dropped the clothes into the back of the car and climbed behind the wheel. “Let’s roll, y’all.”

Akio felt significantly better now that he had clothes that weren’t so horrifying. He wanted to change into them  _ immediately  _ and forget that there was a stage in his life where he had to wear sweatpants that said “JUICY” on the ass, but he doubted he could get away with that shit right now. He’d have to wait.

At least he had this cool jacket.

“Alright, y’all,” said Levitan as they pulled out of the parking lot. “Settle in. I wanna make it to Oklahoma, today.”

Sweet, more time for Akio to mull over how he was gonna try to get out of this. He realized that the longer he waited, the more of a hassle it would be, but he had to wait for the opportune moment so he could slip away unnoticed. 

Maybe when they made it to LA, he could point them in the direction of the Monsoon labs, wherever they were, and he could sneak away into the city. LA was huge, there was almost no chance of them finding him. He could hitchhiker back to New York, pack his shit, and leave this crazy country before anyone was wiser.

Yeah, this was a good plan.

He went back to staring out the window. The trees were covered in frost.

 

“ _ Ew,  _ that ain’t snow! That’s  _ mud! _ ”

“Hey, you think I don’t know the difference between snow an’ mud, Squirt? This is  _ snow! _ ”

“Is not!”

“Is too!”

Then they laughed.

They stopped at a pullout about five hours into the drive. Akio made sandwiches with the trunk of the car open so he could use it as a surface to work on, while Levitan and Ryan threw dirty snow at each other.

Akio was still kind of confused about this whole adventure he’d gotten caught up in. He couldn’t even  _ begin  _ to understand Levitan as a human being, Ryan’s whole existence puzzled him to no end, and he had so many  _ questions. _ It was all so  _ weird.  _ He was curious about what was happening and the people he was stuck with, but he was more concerned with not being buried in a tiny hole for the rest of the foreseeable future.

The shouts and laughter from Levitan and Ryan got suspiciously quiet for a minute. Akio turned his head to look around the side of the car.

They were gone.

Where did they-

He let out a shriek when he felt two pairs of hands seize him, one pair grabbing under his arms, the other grabbing his legs. He found himself being carried by Levitan and Ryan, right over to an enormous  _ snow drift.  _

“ _ Augh!  _ No! Quit it!” he cried, trying to kick out, but Ryan had a good grip on his feet.

“No way!” he said, laughing.

“Brace yourself, pint-sized,” said Levitan.

“Wha-  _ Aah! _ ” 

Akio squealed as he was swung back and tossed sideways into the snow drift. Luckily for him, it wasn’t packed down so it wasn’t like being thrown onto a boulder. However, the powder was now getting into his collar and down his jeans that he’d  _ just put on for god’s sake! _

Levitan and Ryan were laughing so hard they were practically falling over, gasping for breath. Ryan held his sides and leaned against the car while Levitan slapped their thighs, tears rolling down their cheeks.

“It wasn’t  _ that  _ funny!” he cried, trying to climb out of the snow. His foot sank in, and he was standing in snow almost up to his thigh. “ _ Eep!  _ Cold!” He yanked his foot out. He slipped, stumbled, fell, and smacked his forehead right into the concrete curb stop.

The laughter stopped abruptly. Akio’s vision went white and he felt something wet and warm running down his face. How’d he get all the way on the  _ ground? _

He felt a hand grabbing his upper arm and hauling him upright. He was plopped down onto the curb stop.

“Ooh, that’s a nasty gash,” said Levitan. Their voice still had some humour. “You in there?” They snapped their fingers in front of his nose.

He swatted their hand away. “I’m  _ fine _ , knock it off.”

“You’re bleeding pretty bad. Ryan, grab some tissues, won’cha?”

Ryan had started snickering again, but he grabbed a toilet paper roll from the car and tossed it over to Levitan. “Here.” He went to the back of the car to finish making the sandwiches.

Akio wanted to push them away, he thought they would be really rough and grab him all willy-nilly, but to his surprise… Levitan’s thick fingers delicately pushed his glasses up above his forehead, tore off a few sheets of toilet paper, and gently wiped the blood from his nose and around his eyes.

“Gotcha good,” they said, smiling a little. They threw the used tissue into the ditch before tearing off a few more squares and wiping around the wound. “It should heal up in a few minutes. Ooh, holy shit.” They pressed gently on his forehead. Akio yelped. It felt like his brain was caving in. “Goddamn! You fractured your skull!”

“ _ What?! _ ”

“Calm down, you big baby,” they said, tossing the bloody tissue away. “You survived a bullet to the brain, this is just a boo-boo.” They pulled off a bit more, pressed it to his forehead, then put his hand onto the wad to hold it in place. “There, just so it won’t drip everywhere while it’s healin’.” They sat on the concrete block next to Akio. “Sorry ‘bout that. We were jus’ havin’ a lil’ fun.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” he said. His forehead was burning. He looked at his shoes. They were an old pair of work boots that he’d gotten from the thrift shop. They were easier to walk in than the dress shoes he’d been wearing for the past few days.

“Might I ask you something?” asked Levitan.

“You just did.”

Levitan laughed and cuffed him in the shoulder. “Funny. No, I’m just wonderin’...” They poked his chest. “Why in the Lord’s good name did you decide to pair a sweater vest and a white shirt with jeans and a denim jacket?”

Akio looked down at himself. “Is this… weird?”

“Very weird.” Levitan bumped his shoulder with theirs. “Hey, you’ll fit right in.”

Akio was very surprised by this statement. He blinked and lowered the bloody tissue wad from his face. “What?”

“Well, you’re one of us, now,” they said. “I can see that when you get past that grumpy, cowardly, piss-ass scientist exterior, there’s gonna be a good, wholesome, gooshy mutant  _ interior  _ underneath all that crust.” They wrapped an arm around his shoulders and drove their knuckles into the top of his head.

“ _ Aah!  _ Stop that!” He tried to shove them off, but they were too strong. “Uncle?”

“See? You’re learning!” Levitan pulled away, grinning. “You ain’t a bad egg.”

Akio smiled. He touched his forehead.

The gash was gone.

 

It was  _ late  _ when they finally made it to Oklahoma city. They were right on the outskirts, and this neighborhood looked  _ kinda  _ sketchy. Akio had to wonder how it was that these two always managed to zero in on the nastiest looking part of any town.

“Why do we always end up staying in the shittiest places?” he asked as he hiked the duffel bag up onto his shoulder. They’d parked the car and were on the hunt for a place to stay the night. They could hear loud club music and the sound of people fighting not too far away.

“It’s cheap and people don’t ask questions,” said Levitan.

“But how do you always manage to  _ find  _ them without fail?” he asked. “Is it some kinda white trash superpower?”

Levitan snorted. “Perhaps.”

“Before we progress further,” said Ryan, “I’m half Mexican  _ thank you. _ ”

Akio had guessed something like that. His skin was quite a bit darker than Levitan’s, and his hair was black and curled in fluffy waves. “Right. Sorry. Another question… Isn’t it dangerous? I feel like I’m going to get mugged.”

Ryan rolled his eyes and groaned. “Do you ever  _ think  _ before you open your dumb mouth?”

“Listen,” Levitan said. “There’s  _ nobody  _ dumb enough to fuck with  _ me. _ Anyhow, here’s a place.” They pointed to the motel lobby, which was a teeny room with peeling wallpaper from what Akio could see through the window.  “I’ll see if they have vacancies. Akio, won’cha stand an’ keep a watch out?”

“Uh, sure. For what?”

“Well,” said Levitan. “Do you  _ really  _ think that we would’ve been able to bust outta Monsoon and snatch a scientist without anyone  _ noticing?  _ They’ll be looking for us. Faked a warrant for our arrest or somethin’, maybe they even got their own people lookin’ for us. Wait here.” They pushed the door open, and Ryan trotted in after them.

Akio was outside alone, in a sketchy neighborhood, wearing a  _ sweater vest. _ He’d thought that Levitan was going to be in and out within two minutes, but as the time dragged on and he heard intense arguing, he guess that wouldn’t be the case.

He dropped the duffel bag and plopped down onto it with a sigh. He’d left his phone in his desk at work, he was pretty sure. He couldn’t quite remember, that bullet to the head had knocked a whole bunch of memories right out of his skull. 

He wondered if anybody there missed him. He wondered if anybody was looking for him.

Eh. Probably not.

“Hey, you got five bucks?”

Akio looked up. A guy wearing a grubby jacket and worn out shoes was standing over him.

“Sorry, I have literally  _ no  _ money,” he said. “Not a penny.”

“I don’t believe you,” said the guy. He flicked out a knife.

Akio knew he couldn’t die, but he didn’t fancy getting hurt, either. He put up his hands. “Look, man, I don’t have any money.”

“Stand up! Hand over your wallet!”

“ _ I don’t have my wallet,  _ can you just-”

“What’s goin’ on, out here?” Levitan opened the door to the motel room, took in the scene, and huffed out a tired sigh. “Pint-sized, I’ve been gone for  _ five minutes,  _ and you’re gettin’  _ mugged? _ ”

Ryan peeked over Levitan’s shoulder. “Wow, that didn’t take long.” He was holding a pen with the chain still attached to it.

“Yeah!” said the guy, brandishing the knife. “Now you are, too! Hand over your money!”

Levitan gave him a blank look. “You for real?”

“Um.” The guy looked taken aback. He seemed to be finally noticing Levitan’s  _ size.  _ “Yes.”

“You don’t sound real committed,” said Levitan. “Fuck off, buddy.”

The guy started to get desperate. “No! Hand over your cash  _ right now! _ ”

Levitan squared up their shoulders. “Listen, buster, just-”

The guy panicked. He lunged forward and plunged his knife straight into Levitan’s chest. When Levitan didn’t cry out or even flinch, he quickly dropped the knife, eyes wide in shock.

“ _ What the fuck?! _ ” he cried.

Levitan pulled the knife from their chest. “Fuck, man. I’m gonna have t’ stitch up my coat again.” They flicked the knife at him, blood specs hitting him in the cheek. “ _ Beat it. _ ”

Stupefied, the guy sprinted off down the street, constantly checking over his shoulder as he went, as though he was worried Levitan was chasing him.

Levitan looked at the knife. It was a small pocket knife with a serrated edge towards the handle. “Not bad.” They closed the blade and held it out to Akio. “Want it?”

“Um,” said Akio, accepting the knife. “Thanks.”

“I wouldn’t use it as a weapon,” said Levitan. “It’s prolly better for carvin’ up sticks and cuttin’ ropes, but it works in a pinch. C’mon, we’re room two-oh-five.” They hefted the grocery bag they were carrying and headed off to the room, Ryan right behind them.

Akio looked at the knife in his hand and idly wondered if Levitan had pain receptors. Maybe that was another aspect of their mutation.

He resolved not to pair a sweater vest with his denim jacket again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter wasn't super plot heavy, but hopefully the next one will be!  
> comments are appreciated, thanks for reading my original work!


	13. Inciting a Scurry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They're driving through Nevada. They've been found.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: blood, death, gore, mentions of child abuse

Another day of driving, and they were in Nevada. There was no snow here, the skies were clear, and Akio was beginning to realize that his plan was probably not going to work. How the  _ hell  _ was he supposed to get back to New York with no money? He should have run for it when they were in still Pennsylvania.

Well, he was never much good at these kinds of things.

He had somehow managed to score shotgun. Ryan sat in the back seat, playing on his gameboy, his lanky legs curled up to his chest. He honestly had no idea how this happened, but Levitan asked if he wanted to control the radio and Ryan had wordlessly climbed into the back.

Weird, he supposed, but kinda cool.

He was watching the hills roll by. It was sunny and warm, he’d ditched his jean jacket in favour of a rolling stones t-shirt. Levitan’s jacket was sitting beside them for once, which meant that Akio could see their muscles and their scars. There were old bullet wounds on their shoulder, a mostly-healed gash across their neck, and some smaller, faded jagged cuts on their arms. If Levitan could heal from anything, he thought, how come they had so many scars?

He looked back out the window. It was… nice. This was the nicest drive he’d ever been on.

Guilt gnawed in his belly. He was starting to feel bad for what he had to do, and for what he was going to have to do. Fuck, this was dumb. He should have left when he still hated them.

“So, pint-sized,” said Levitan. “What’s your plan?”

“What plan?” he asked nervously, wondering whether telepathy was part of Levitan’s mutation.

“Um,” said Levitan slowly. “Your plan to infiltrate Monsoon?”

Oh. Oh  _ shit. _ Yeah, he needed to work on that.

They were almost in California. He was gonna get found out, and soon. He had to think fast.

“Well, you see,” he said, pulling a notepad out of his pocket. He always had one on him, he was just that type of guy. “I’m gonna need to work out the kinks, first.” He started scribbling some numbers down and doodled a square with lines in it to represent a floor plan. Yeah, that looked sciency.

“Hey, now,” they said, turning down the radio. “You can bounce ideas offa me. I’ve done more n’ my fair share of escape plans, battle strategies, and movements that could  _ possibly  _ be misconstrued as a form of terrorism. Hit me with whatcha got.”

“I don’t  _ got  _ nothing,” he said, then he stiffened. “Oh  _ god. _ ” He slapped a hand to his forehead.

“What?” asked Levitan.

“I said  _ got nothing.  _ Your redneck accent is rubbing off on me!”

“ _ Ha! _ ” Levitan slapped the steering wheel. “It sneaks up on you real fast, don’t it?”

Ryan snickered from the back seat, the buttons tapping on his gameboy as he tried to catch a Pokemon. “It’s strangely addictive.”

“I  _ can  _ talk with a different accent,” said Levitan as they changed lanes on the highway. “I’m actually quite good at impersonations,  _ thank you.  _ I jus’ prefer not to.”

“Why?”

“Mm, mostly so I can stay in touch with my roots. Folks are always eager to forget where they come from, forget the bad stuff that happens, but that’s how you came to be the person you are today.” They scratched at the scar on the bridge of their nose. “A lotta fucked up shit has happened to me in my lifetime, but I wouldn’t change  _ any  _ of it.”

“Why?” asked Akio, thinking back to a few very specific events he would be perfectly happy erasing from his memories. “I mean, if bad stuff happened to you and you could go back in time, why wouldn’t you want to  _ stop  _ it?”

“Well, I’d be  _ different, _ ” said Levitan, gesturing emphatically with their hand. “It’s… hard to explain, but if I hadn’t grown up in Texas, if I hadn’t been a pilot, if I hadn’t had my heart broken, if I hadn’t been a prisoner… I would be  _ different _ . I wouldn’t have the knowledge I have, now. One event in your life can trigger a chain reaction, and a whole other realm of possibilities that hadn’t been on the table before end up becomin’ your future.”

Akio was surprised by that. “So you’re  _ glad  _ you lived through the bad times?”

“Not  _ glad,  _ perse,” they said, “but… thankful? Appreciative? I acknowledge what they’ve given me, even though they’ve also taken stuff away? Hell, my memories can go suck a dick, sometimes. I’m fucked up in some pretty royal ways, but hopefully I can take these memories and… put ‘em to good work, I dunno. Tell stories. Who knows?” They sighed. “It’s hard to explain, but I find it easier to take what I can from the bad stuff and let it make me stronger, rather than just… wash ‘em away.”

“That’s a good way of thinking about it,” he said thoughtfully, looking out the window.

“It’s not everybody’s cuppa tea, it’s just how I choose to do things.”

“That’s fair.”

“What do you do?”

“Me?”

“Yeah,” they said. “When bad stuff happens, how do you deal with it?”

“Ugh,” he said, leaning back into his seat. “I just wanna forget about it. I can’t let shit like that keep me up at night.”

“Shit like what?”

“Jeez, I dunno,” he said, growing irritated. “Shit like being bounced from foster home to foster home like nothing else and feeling  _ insulted  _ that the families had  _ pets  _ that lived there longer than I did? Being smacked around, ignored, and abused when I was a kid just for being myself or messing up  _ one little thing? _ ”

Levitan looked like they were unprepared for this onsalaught of information. “Pint-sized, just-”

Akio was on a roll, though. “Or how about being broke and in debt for my university education and winding up studying in a field that I don’t even like because I had a knack for it and money is more important than passions?”

“Kid, you’re-”

“Ooh, better yet,” he said with mock enthusiasm, “how about this; being  _ abducted  _ by some  _ freaks  _ and getting my ass dragged across this god-forsaken country so I don’t get  _ buried alive! _ ” 

As soon as those words were out of his mouth, he realized that he’d just insulted _Levitan Reeves_ right to their face, which was never a good move. _Levitan_ “ _person who’d threatened to strangle him with his own intestines_ ” _Reeves._ He’d insulted them, and he’d insulted Ryan, and he was pretty sure that broke the deal they made, as if all the lying he’d been doing hadn’t. He waited for the storm to hit.

Levitan didn’t say a word. They drummed their fingers on the steering wheel. The tapping from Ryan’s gameboy had stopped for a minute.

Akio shook his head. His face was red with embarrassment. He wished he could take it all back. “Fuck it, you don’t care about my problems. Yours are way worse, we don’t even know each other. My problems are fucking… stupid.” He folded his arms. “Forget it.”

Levitan was quiet for a few minutes, thinking this over and trying to come up with an adequate response. Akio was sweating this entire time. He could hear the rumble of the car, the whistling of the wind through the open window, and the tapping of the buttons on Ryan’s gameboy as he resumed playing.

Levitan glanced over at him briefly, then looked back, surprised. “You’re  _ cryin’? _ ”

“I’m not!” He wiped his cheeks and muttered about nosy assholes under his breath in Japanese.

“Hey, now. That’s alright. I ain’t a stranger to cryin’.”

Akio could  _ not  _ picture Levitan crying. He looked away, arms folded protectively over himself.

“I ain’t gonna take that blatant insult to heart, neither,” they said. “But this is a one time thing, y’hear?”

“I hear.”

“Don’t go comparing our problems, neither,” said Levitan, wagging a finger at him. “ _ Everybody  _ does this! Someone  _ always  _ has it worse than  you, but you can’t just ignore your own issues ‘cause o’ that.”

“Right, right, okay.”

“And if you just-” Levitan cut themselves off. They paused for a long minute, staring at the rear view mirror. “Hey, can one o’ y’all tell me if there’s a suspicious-lookin’ white and blue van followin’ us?”

Ryan rolled down the back window and stuck his head out. “Yep.”

“Cool. I just wanted to make sure it was really there before I did  _ this. _ ” They slammed their foot down on the gas.

“ _ Waugh! _ ” Ryan was thrown back into the seat.

“Buckle up, kids,” said Levitan, watching in the rear view mirror as the white van sped up to match pace with them. “Looks like we’ve been found out.”

Akio’s heart pounded in his throat He had no idea what to do. He was wondering how he could spin this opportunity to his advantage, maybe he could make a break for it if they somehow caught up to them, or maybe he could show the people in the van his ID and say that he was kidnapped.

Then again… what if they figured out  _ he  _ was a mutant, too? What was he supposed to do, then? It would be  _ super  _ ironic if he ended up being thrown into the facility Levitan had been trapped in, and he hated irony.

The car jerked to the side as they wound through the traffic. The beeps of car horns followed them. A siren blared as the van raced behind them.

“Shit, shit,  _ shit! _ ” cursed Levitan under their breath as they clipped the car on a passing truck. 

The side mirror was ripped off and went flying away into traffic. There was a smash as it crashed into somebody’s windshield. The car spun off and rammed into the one next to it, which in turn rammed into the truck. The cars behind them were unable to stop in time, and the accident started to pile up behind them.

“Oh god, oh god, oh god,” said Akio quietly. It seemed like the white van had disappeared in that mess, so they were safe for the moment. Akio wasn’t sure whether or not that was a good thing, for him.

Ryan pointed. “Look!”

Up ahead, the traffic narrowed. There was a blockade. Two white vans with blue trim, caution tape, and a few people standing beside them. A few of them were holding weapons. This time, Akio could clearly see the letter “M” painted in blue on the hoods of the cars.

“Son of a  _ bitch! _ ” cursed Levitan. “Ryan, hand me a gun!”

“You’re kidding!” said Akio.

“Fuck no, I ain’t! Hold onto your asses!” 

Levitan spun the wheel and slammed the brakes. The car drifted and skidded to a halt. They held out a hand and Ryan handed them a pistol.

Akio slowly slipped beneath the dashboard of the car and stayed there. He was out of his league and he knew it. There was nothing he could do that would end well for  _ anybody. _

“ _ Step out of the car immediately! _ ” came a tinny voice over a megaphone.

“ _ Eat my ass, ya yankees! _ ” Levitan fired out the window of the car.

Akio peeked out from his hiding place long enough to see the bullets hit their marks. Two men fell, and the rest of them began to scramble back into their cars.

“Yeah, you  _ better  _ run!” yelled Levitan, revving the motor again. “Let’s  _ plough through  _ this bitch!”

The car began to speed up again, and Akio was  _ positive  _ that a station wagon shouldn’t be able to handle this shit. Ryan was whooping and cheering and Akio soon realized that he was hiding under the dashboard and yelling but he had no idea when he’d started doing that.

The car smashed through the traffic cones, denting the fender and sending one smashing into the windshield of one of the vans. The other one quickly turned and started to tear after them. There were gunshots, and the sound of breaking glass, and a clean hole was punched right through their back window and their windshield. Akio put his hands over his ears and squeezed his eyes tight shut.

The car skidded and pitched to the side. The two vans followed behind in close pursuit. Dust was kicked up underneath the tires. Ryan was laughing hysterically, Levitan was cursing loudly under their breath and yelling at Ryan to shut up, and the bumping of the car made Akio whack the back of his head on the dash at least six times, but it could have been seven.

There was more traffic up ahead. The cars were slower and close together.

“Shit,” muttered Levitan. “Nowhere to go! Here!” 

They tossed the gun back to Ryan, who caught it and fired two rounds out the window, one dinging off of the hood of the van behind them, and the other shooting right through the windshield. Blood splattered the inside of the car and Ryan pumped a fist. “ _ Yes! _ ”

“How many bullets we got left?” asked Levitan. Their hands were slick with sweat on the steering wheel.

“Uh…” Ryan tried to fire another round.

_ Click. _

“None.”

“ _ Fuck! _ ” Their hands were shaking, even as they gripped the steering wheel. They couldn’t go back, no way! They weren’t going to let that happen, no, no,  _ no! _

They swerved past another car, scraping along the side with a sickening screech. Ryan and Akio were both shouting, but Levitan couldn’t make sense of either of their voices, and they  _ knew  _ there were only two cars behind them but whenever they glanced in the mirror they thought they saw five. No, not five… ten! Or was it twenty?

Levitan was trying not to panic, trying to stay in control for the sake of their freedom and their son’s and hell, even Akio’s. They felt nauseous and they were sure that tears were in their eyes. The vans were right on their heels, the sirens were getting louder, bullets were grazing the car and popping through the windows, leaving perfectly round puncture marks with spiderweb cracks that splintered the glass. They barely noticed that they almost hit another truck as they swerved through the traffic.

“Watch it!” said Ryan. “Don’t wreck us!”

Akio uncovered his ears long enough to hear him say that. “Does it  _ matter? _ We can’t  _ die! _ ”

Levitan’s eyes widened. That was it.

They slammed their foot on the brakes.  _ Hard. _

“ _ What’re you doing?! _ ” screeched Ryan.

Akio was back to covering his ears and praying.

The tires squealed as the car ground to a halt. The vans were close behind them, and they weren’t able to stop. The first one smashed into the back of the station wagon, and the second one crashed into the back of the first one. The two vans propelled the little station wagon straight into the side of a massive truck. The truck skidded and tipped over, crushing the hood of the car.

The car buckled. Levitan smashed their forehead into the steering wheel, and they knew that they fractured something in their skull. They recognized the sensation. Pain spread up from their belly. They looked down and realized that somehow, by some freakish miracle, a lead pipe had lodged itself in their stomach, penetrating through the back of the seat and coming to a stop on the steering wheel.

“Great.” They looked down, over to where Akio was, and grimaced. The dashboard had crumpled when the car had hit the truck, and blood was oozing out from under Akio’s body. He was very still.

“Ryan?”

There was no sound from the back seat. Levitan couldn’t move, but they tried to crane their neck and see their son.

They could see his foot, twisted at an awkward angle.

They sighed, their breath rattling in their throat, and grabbed at the pipe. When they touched it and it shifted, they grunted in pain. “ _ Ow, holy fuck! _ ” 

They were short on time, and haste makes waste. With every bit of strength they had, they gripped the pipe and shoved it back through the seat, until they could pull themselves off of it. They could feel the blood dripping down their stomach and  _ worse, _ they could feel their body knitting itself back together, slowly congealing the flesh back together.

With shaky hands, they pulled on their leather jacket. It was hot out, but with its weight on their shoulders, they felt just a little bit more in control of what was happening.

They climbed out of the car. There was no movement from either of the vans behind them, but they weren’t the only cars that were wrecked. The truck had landed on two other cars, blocking the whole road, and the traffic behind them seemed to be clogged for half a mile.  _ Good. _

Levitan walked over to the first van, pulled the rifle from the hands of a dead guard whose head was caved in by the roof of the car. They grabbed the duffel bag from the back, threw the gun, some of their water bottles and crackers in it, and slung it over their shoulder. They grabbed Akio, whose neck was twisted around at an awful angle, and tossed Ryan over their shoulder without looking at him. They hated seeing him hurt like this, they didn’t dare look closely and see what the damage really was.

He wasn’t breathing.

Ryan had never died before. He was only  _ half  _ mutant. What if he didn’t…

No, they couldn’t think like that.

There were shouts and screams. Levitan stumbled off of the highway on a broken ankle, tears of pain running down their cheeks. They had to get away from here, had to get away from Monsoon. They weren’t going back, there was no way they were going back.

There was a large hill not too far from the highway, it would be as good a place as any to sit tight for a bit while they healed. Walking on this ankle wasn’t doing them any favours, and they knew it would be at least a few minutes before Akio or Ryan would be up and running. 

People were starting to mill around the accident, sirens approached as the authorities started to gather. Levitan knew that their face would be on the news, in all likeliness, along with a warrant for their arrest. Some bullshit about inciting a scurry, probably.

At least they were still free. Levitan tried not to think about all the people who’d just died in the car wreck they’d caused. Their lives were most definitely worth more than theirs, but they couldn’t help it. They  _ weren’t  _ going back to Monsoon. Never. No matter how much it cost.

The sun was red as it started to sink lower on the horizon. Nobody saw them limp off into the desert with Akio under their arm and Ryan over their shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading my original work!! Comments are so, so highly appreciated!


	14. Desert Sunset

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryan isn't healing right away. Levitan and Akio have a good, long conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: blood and injuries, slight transphobia, a shit-ton of dialogue.

Akio woke with a pounding headache and a crick in his neck. He was lying on dusty, reddish-brown dirt that stuck to the sweat on his cheek. He groaned as sensation came back into his body, namely the sensation of  _ pain _ . “Ow…”

“Hey.”

He looked up. Levitan was sitting next to him, leaning against a boulder in the shade. Their stomach was covered in blood, there was a new hole in their shirt, and they were smoking a cigarette.

“Hey,” he croaked. “What’s going…” He looked down at his body, trying to situate himself, and he realized that something was very wrong. “ _ Oh my god, my neck is broken! _ ”

“Here, lemme help you with that.” Levitan reached over, took Akio’s head in their hands, and with one quick movement, snapped his neck back in place with a gross crack.

“ _ Ouch! _ Uh, thanks.” He massaged his throat and adjusted his glasses. It felt like his trachea had been crushed and was still in the process of healing. “What happened?”

“Car wreck,” they said, not looking at him. “We’d been found out.”

Oh, right. “Where’s Ryan?”

“Right here.”

Akio shuffled over for a closer look, and his stomach twisted painfully. Ryan’s body was lying in the dry dirt next to Levitan. His face was turned away, but Akio could see that his limbs were bent awkwardly and his body was badly damaged. There was a deep gash on his hand that was no longer oozing blood. He wasn’t moving, wasn’t breathing. He looked… so small.

He was laying on top of Levitan’s jacket.

“Fuck,” muttered Levitan. “He’s not waking up.”

“Just give it time,” said Akio as soothingly as he could. “He’ll wake up.”

“He’s only half mutant. What if that’s not enough?” Their hands were trembling, and so was their voice. “Oh god, I’ve made a mistake.”

“What?” he asked.

“W-what if I’ve killed my son?” they stammered. “I didn’t think, I just  _ acted _ , like fucking always! Oh my god, what if I killed him?”

Akio scooted backwards so he was leaning against the boulder next to them. “Levitan, there’s enough of  _ you _ in him that-”

“But what if there’s  _ not? _ ” they said, their voice hoarse and shaking. There was nothing left of their cigarette, so they lit another one off of it and stubbed the butt out in the dirt. “I fucked up. I can’t believe I did that. I can’t believe I thought it would be  _ okay _ .” They took in a deep breath through the cigarette, then exhaled a cloud of smoke.

Akio didn’t know what to say, but he tried his best. “It  _ is  _ gonna be okay.”

“No, it’s not!” they cried, waving emphatically. They puffed on their cigarette, breathing the smoke out through their nose. “It’s not okay, and it’s  _ never  _ okay, with me. It’s never gonna  _ be  _ okay.”

“What do you-”

“My life,” they said slowly, their voice shaking with anger and remorse, “has consisted  _ solely _ of me fighting for my freedom, running from people who are out to get me, being completely miserable, and holding myself in utter  _ contempt  _ and  _ disgust _ . I’m… so  _ tired  _ of it, but it just won’t  _ end! _ ” They thumped their fist on the dirt between them, making Akio jump. “It’s  _ never gonna end! _ ”

He paused. He could hear his own heartbeat. “Never?”

“ _ Never! _ ” they roared, lurching to their feet. They turned and glared down at Akio, fists clenched, cigarette dangling from their lip. “Don’t you  _ get  _ it?  _ I can’t die!  _ Neither can you, by the looks of it, so we’re in the same boat, buster! Our days  _ aren’t _ numbered, and there ain’t a damn thing we can do to change that! It’s all I can do to wake up in the morning, and I’m expected to live  _ forever? _ Fuck this shit!”

“Holy shit,” he said articulately.

“ _ Fuck yeah _ , holy shit!” They kicked their boot in the dirt and blew out a cloud of cigarette smoke through their teeth. “We’re  _ freaks _ , and it will haunt us until the end of our days! There’s nothing we can do about it, it’s wired right into our DNA! It’s incurable! And if Ryan doesn’t wake up, I’m gonna have to live with that guilt  _ until the sun goes out! _ ”

“He’s going to wake up,” said Akio, trying to sound more certain than he felt. Ryan was lying so, so still. “I know he will. He’s just-”

“ _ Fuck you _ , you can’t see the future!” roared Levitan, jabbing a finger at him. “There’s  _ nothing  _ that you can do to make me feel better about this! I’m staying  _ right fucking here  _ until my boy wakes up, however long it takes!”

“I’m not trying to ask you to do otherwise,” he said, holding up his hands as a gesture of peace. “I’m staying with you. We can sit here together. I’d never ask you to abandon him.”

Levitan’s shoulders slumped. It looked like the fight had been sapped right out of them. They looked so… defeated, it made Akio’s heart twist. They breathed out a heavy sigh. “Right, I’m sorry… it’s just…”

“I know.” Akio looked over at Ryan. The cut on his hand seemed smaller. “Look at his hand.”

Levitan quickly dropped to the ground and examined Ryan’s hand. The gash had begun to scab up. There were tears in their eyes, and they pressed his hand to their cheek. “ _ Oh thank god! _ ”

“It’s gonna be okay,” he said.

“Fuck you, no it ain’t.”

“Well… he’s gonna wake up.” He tentatively touched their shoulder. They jumped a little, but to his surprise, they didn’t shake him off.

“He’s so cold,” they said, gently lowering his hand to the ground, again. “I don’t like it.”

“You shouldn’t like it.”

Levitan sighed. They took another puff on their cigarette and leaned back against the boulder, sitting very close to Akio. Their elbows were touching. “God.” They dragged a hand down their face. “Remind me never to kill my son again.”

“Most people don’t have to be reminded.”

Levitan laughed at that and nudged his elbow with theirs. “Touche.”

There was about a minute of silence. They could hear people far away on the highway, and the wind whistled softly around the hill they were hiding behind. The sun was low and red. 

The two of them winced at the sickening sound of Ryan’s leg bones snapping back into place. Akio didn’t want to hear anything like that again, so he decided to break the silence.

He saw the look of horror and worry in Levitan’s eyes. He wanted to comfort them, but he knew that nothing he could say could possibly cover everything that had happened. Maybe he could distract them, at least a little bit.

“You’re not a bad parent, you know?”

Levitan rolled their eyes. “You kidding me? I’m the fucking worst.”

“You love him, and you’d go to the ends of the earth for him,” he said, flicking dirt over a little beetle that crawled past him. “That’s a lot more than other people can say.”

Levitan doodled concentric circles in the sand by their hip. “I’ve been a horrible influence on him. He thinks that I’m a much better person than I really am.”

He shrugged. “All kids think that about their parents.”

“Mm, I didn’t. My parents hated me and I hated them.” They folded their legs and looked up at the sky. It was starting to get cooler as the sun set. “I wasn’t there for him when he was growing up.”

“Through no fault of your own,” he added.

“ _ Bullshit, _ ” they snapped, stubbing out their cigarette on the rock. “If I’d been more careful, if I’d been less of an  _ idiot  _ like  _ always _ , I wouldn’t have gotten captured.”

“What… happened?”

“Boy,  _ that’s _ a long story.” They looked over at their son’s broken body. “Well… I guess we have a little time. I’ll just skim over some of the specifics.” They sighed. “I’ve been locked up in Monsoon facilities a total of two times, two and a half if you count when I was a kid. I’ll spare you the details, just know that it was a long time ago and I was there for much longer, that’s all that matters. I managed to escape ‘cause security was a bit more lax back then, and I went on the run.”

“For how long?” he asked, pulling his knee up to his chest, resting his elbow on it, and propping his chin up in his hand.

They scratched the scar on the bridge of their nose. “Well… I  _ think  _ I got out around nineteen-seventy or so? It’s a little foggy. I’ve been a bit of a drifter, since then. I managed to stay out of trouble for a long while. Hell, I even helped a few other escaped mutants and such. I mostly just wanted to avoid the whole thing, but I’d developed a bit of a rep.”

“What kind of a rep?” he asked.

“There…  _ may or may not  _ be a few folk tales about me,” they said with a wry grin.

Akio could hardly believe his ears. “Oh my god, like what?” He tried to picture what a myth about Levitan would even sound like. 

“Well, my name is never in them, but it’s always somethin’ like “the indestructible”. Some of the mutants tell stories like that to their kids, like I’m some kinda Robin Hood type who helps good folks.”

“Holy shit, that’s hilarious.”

“What can I say? I’m inspirational.” They chuckled. “But hey, that’s what happens when you’re around for a long time. I even got involved in some rebellion stuff myself, organized what  _ could  _ be called terroristic attacks, helped a few escaped mutants relocate n’ blend into the world. We all kept tabs on each other, everybody knew everybody. Even if we were far apart, you could usually put a call out on a radio station or a newspaper ad in code and somebody would have your back. ‘Course this was all before the internet… I have no idea if anythin’ is left o’ that.”

“So it was kind of like an underground movement?” he said, picturing bunkers and secret codes hidden in newspapers. It honestly sounded really cool, to him.

They shrugged like it was no big deal, but he knew that they loved the awe in his eyes. “Sorta. I did other stuff, too. Mostly scummy shit, working as hired muscle for drug deals an’ junk like that. I performed more than just a few hit jobs in my time, too.” They drummed their fingers on their knee. “I’m not super proud o’ everything I did, but what can I say? I was desperate.”

Akio could one hundred percent picture Levitan as a hired killer. He bet that they would be good at it, too. “So… what about Ryan? When did he come into the picture?”

Levitan huffed a sigh. “Ryan was born around Y2K or so, and that was when I quit the rebellion business altogether. I never pictured myself with a kid.”

“Who’s the… other parent?”

Levitan closed their eyes, brow pinched. After a few seconds of debating it, they said, “Some shmuck I was working for. I turned on him and killed him the night after Ryan was conceived, then I ran off. Bet you can imagine my surprise when I got morning sickness.”

“... Oh?” His voice cracked awkwardly when he said that.

They gave him a pained look. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like you’ve… puzzled me out or some  _ shit. _ ” They spat into the dirt. “I fuckin’  _ hate  _ it when people look at me like that.”

Akio really didn’t want to offend Levitan. He was trying to distract them from their son’s healing process, he didn’t want to make them feel even worse. “I’m sorry, I remember that back in the hotel room I asked you whether you were a man or a-”

“I’m  _ not either one,  _ okay?” they snapped. “I’m not a woman, and I’m not a man. I’m just… not anything. I’m wired so that I can give birth, and I was honestly surprised when I found out I  _ could  _ get pregnant. But… don’t look at me like I’m a girl, because I’m  _ not,  _ alright?”

He didn’t really get it. He tried to give them a sympathetic look. “Alright. I don’t really understand, but-”

“Do you really think that with eight billion people in this world, there’s only two genders?” they said challengingly. “Only two sexualities? The world’s a lil’ more complicated than that.”

“Oh.” He supposed he could get that. “So…?”

They groaned and pinched the bridge of their nose. “I’m not ‘bout to give you a TED talk, but I’ll give you ‘nuff to work with, okay?”

“Alright. I’m just curious, I’m sorry.”

“S’fine. You mean well. Not everyone does.” They looked up at the darkening sky and tried to figure out how to phrase this. “So the concepts of “man” and “woman” are abstract, they have more to do with your brain than your biology. Some folks feel like one or the other, some feel like both, some feel like neither, and some feel like somethin’ else entirely. Some feel like their brains are different from their bodies, but most people feel like they fit the gender that matches their biology. Sexuality’s a  _ whole  _ different ballgame, but we can talk ‘bout that some other time if you’re curious.” 

“Wow. That’s... crazy. And cool. Crazy cool?” Akio felt like a light bulb had gone on inside his head. His knowledge about the world was so  _ patchy.  _ What  _ else _ didn’t he know? He was really curious, now. Maybe he should go do some reading.

Levitan waved their hand dismissively. “It’s complicated and it ain’t important to  _ this  _ conversation. Just know that if you  _ ever  _ try to treat me like a woman or call me a “she”, I will fuckin’  _ wreck _ you. I have to put up enough shit as it is, I don’t need it from the people I call friends. I’m  _ not  _ a woman. I’m just… me.” They sighed and hung their head. “I don’t expect you to understand, I’m just asking for respect.”

“I think I kinda get it,” he said, trying not to linger on the fact that Levitan had maybe just called him a  _ friend _ . “I’ve never felt… not like a man… but how  _ I _ feel doesn’t matter.” God, he sounded like an idiot, he was trying so hard, here. “I promise that I won’t ever think of you as a woman. I swear.”

They gave a little smile. “Thanks. I don’t expect you to get it, not really. You don’t know what it’s like to walk around and have people constantly picking you apart, making assumptions based on your body… It fuckin’ sucks.” They brushed some of the rust-coloured dirt from their cargo pants. “That was the one great thing about the mutants. Even back when gender was more rigid, we all realized that we were so fuckin’  _ weird _ to begin with that gender and who you wanted to fuck didn’t matter none.”

“That’s pretty nice.” He wanted to say something to make them feel better, but he wasn’t sure what he should do. “Um… I know you’re feeling kinda rough right now with everything you just told me and all that’s happened today... but I think you’re pretty cool.”

It was true. Somehow, along the line, his fear of Levitan had evolved into admiration and appreciation. He greatly admired their strength, physically and emotionally, he thought they were incredibly interesting, and… he was a little bit jealous of the bond that they had with their son. Nobody had ever loved him that much or that intensely.

He was surprised at himself. This feeling had kind of… snuck up on him.

Don’t get him wrong, he was still scared of them and he didn’t like how crude they were or their cavalier attitude towards violence among other things, but… he was  _ fond  _ of them.

God, Ryan was right. He was Dr. Fuckstick. He’d fucked up so bad, he needed to get out of this before he got any more attached, before things got any worse.

Levitan grinned when he’d said that. “I think you’re pretty cool too, pint-sized.”

They were sitting so close. Akio could see the silver in their eyes. They were… nice.

Akio flinched slightly when they reached for him, but he opened his eyes in surprise when Levitan ruffled his hair affectionately. 

He blushed. It felt… kinda nice.

He’d made so many mistakes, he didn’t deserve this. He had to stop it right now.

“So, um,” he said, trying to will the flush in his face to go away. “I didn’t mean to drag you off topic. Sorry.”

“Right, right.” They let out a breath, stretched their legs out in front of them, and folded their hands over their stomach. “Where were we?”

“You had Ryan after Y2K?” he suggested.

They twiddled their thumbs. “Oh. Yeah.”

He saw the look in their eye. “We don’t have to talk about it.”

“It’s about time I told  _ somebody _ this story.” They blew the air out of their cheeks. “I tried to raise him right, I really did. I dropped most of the sketchy jobs I did, but I wasn’t the best role model. We didn’t always have enough to eat, but goddammit, we were  _ free. _ ”

“You were doing your best.”

“My best wasn’t good enough. They found us when he was ten years old.” Levitan twiddled their thumbs. “We were livin’ in a shitty apartment. I hid him in the false wall behind the closet and tried to fight ‘em off, but they took me. I don’t think they know he exists.” They took a breath. “That’s ‘bout the size o’ it, though.”

“Holy shit.”

“No duh.” They folded their arms. “Your turn.”

Akio paused. “Uh… my turn to what?”

“I told you a story,” they said, “now it’s your turn.” They reached down and brushed Ryan’s hair out of his sightless eyes. “I barely know anything about you.”

“I could say the same for you,” he said, knowing it was a lie even as the words came out of his mouth.

“Bullshit, I just told you half my life’s story. Tell me about somethin’ that happened to you. It can be anythin’ you want, good or bad, happy or sad, whatever!” Their hand lingered on Ryan’s shoulder.

“Sure, well, um…” He scratched his nose under his glasses. He plucked them off of his nose and tried to clean them on his shirt. “My life has been pretty boring, up to this point. I was a foster kid, lived in six different homes. Went to Kyoto university, got a degree in biology and a PhD in chemistry, then I came over to America. That’s about it.”

“So in your free time,” they said disbelievingly, “you’re tellin’ me that all you did was sit in an empty room drinkin’ water and eatin’ saltines?”

“Hey, now,” he said, waving a finger at them. “I grew up in  _ Japan, _ so it wasn’t  _ saltines _ . It was plain rice. And the room wasn’t  _ empty _ , there was a painting of a sad clown on one wall that I would stare at for hours on end.”

Levitan laughed. “Funny. C’mon, there must be  _ somethin’ _ .”

Akio put his glasses back on his nose. His vision was a little better. He thought for a few more seconds before he said, “Well, do you know what I wanted to do instead of science?”

“What?”

“Promise you won’t laugh?”

“Now, don’t ask me to make promises I can’t keep,” they said, smiling. They nudged him gently. “C’mon, it can’t be  _ that  _ bad.”

“I wanted to be a jazz musician,” he said, looking at his feet. “I was in the marching band when I was in school. I played the saxophone, and I was really good at it, too. I played all kinds of music in my free time, but I was best at jazz and blues. But, if you know anything about Japanese culture, you’ll know that the arts aren’t super valued. My teachers pushed me into the sciences because I was pretty good at that, and I ended up selling my saxophone for a little extra cash when I was in university.”

Levitan didn’t laugh. They looked thoughtful. “That’s… fuckin’ tragic. I’d tell you that life is too short to not do what you love, but in your case you have a  _ long ass time  _ to start playing the saxophone again. The world can always use more art.”

“If I hadn’t been a scientist, we wouldn’t have met,” he said quietly.

Levitan looked surprised by that. “Is that a good thing?”

“Well… I’m glad I met you.”

“I’m glad I met you, too.”

They were quiet. Levitan pulled their gaze away from him. Akio thought that something funny had passed between them, and he wasn’t quite sure what it was.

He was beginning to wonder if he should change his escape strategy. Maybe he should modify it so it involved a little less  _ escaping  _ and a little more  _ not being a scumbag.  _ Maybe.

There was a weak cough from beside Levitan, then a pained groan. Ryan lifted his head and shook out his hair. “What  _ happened? _ ”

“ _ Ryan! _ ” Levitan seized him and pulled him into a rib-cracking hug, gripping his baggy raincoat tightly with both hands. “ _ Oh thank the sweet Lord in heaven! _ ”

“ _ Augh! _ ” He tried to push them off. “Lev, you’re crushing me!”

“Sorry, Squirt.” They loosened their grip, still holding him close. “I’m sorry, son... I’m so, so sorry… I’ll never  _ ever  _ do that, again. I  _ promise. _ I’m so sorry, kid…”

“Levitan, don’t worry ‘bout me,” he said, trying to pull away. “I’m fine, aren’t I?”

Levitan was having none of it. They pulled him in even closer. “No, it was so bad, kid. You were gone for almost an hour.”

“An hour?” he said, sounding surprised. He looked up at the sky to see that it was almost dark out. “Holy shit.”

Levitan tried to hold back the tears. “Never again. Don’t ever scare me like that, again.”

“It wasn’t  _ my  _ idea,” he grumbled, pushing them away successfully. “We shouldn’t stay here. We need to get moving.”

“Right, of course.” They pulled on their jacket. “I think we’re about a three hour walk from Las Vegas.”

“Ooh,” said Ryan. “We could play the slots!”

“Squirt, we have exactly fifteen dollars left, and I ain’t blowin’ it on  _ slots. _ ”

He pouted. “Oh.”

They gave a sly smile. “Nah, I’ll bet it on poker.”

Ryan grinned. “ _ Awesome! _ ”

Levitan smiled, but Akio could see the worry in their eyes. He pulled his jean jacket from the duffel bag, put his arms through the sleeves, and slung the bag over his shoulder.

“We can probably walk for a little bit before it gets too dark,” he said.

“Hang on.” Ryan reached into his pocket and pulled out a small flashlight. “There, now we won’t trip over a cactus.”

Levitan nodded approvingly. “Good thinkin’ Squirt.”

The full moon was starting to rise over the desert. The hills looked otherworldly. The stars were bright, out here, and one lone cloud looked pure white in the light of the moon.

Ryan jogged up ahead to light the way and stomp on any and all little critters that started to slither their way. Levitan lagged behind to walk with Akio.

“Hey,” they said quietly. “I know you were tryin’ to distract me by talkin’. Thanks.”

“Anytime,” he said. He let himself walk close enough to Levitan to brush arms. “Do you know how to play poker?”

“Yep.” They produced a deck of cards from the pocket of their leather jacket. “I’m real good at it, too.”

“I bet. I wouldn’t wanna play against you.” He shivered, it was a little chilly out now that the sun had set.

Levitan had seen him shiver. “Aw, c’mon! Just one game!” They draped one arm around his shoulders casually. “I’ll even go  _ easy  _ on ya!”

“Pfft, yeah right! You’ll stomp me into the ground!” Akio leaned into their warmth, they were like a furnace.

“You would  _ accuse  _ me of being unfair?” they said mockingly. “Well, I never!”

Ryan whistled at them, walking backwards. “ _ Gay! _ ”

Akio blushed bright red, but Levitan didn’t move their arm. He didn’t really want them to.

“Go step on a scorpion, brat,” they said, waving him off.

He laughed and stuck his tongue out at them, still walking backwards, and promptly tripped over a cactus.

Levitan and Akio laughed at him until their sides hurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo, I'm probably gonna thin out the talking in retrospect. I think I got most of the details of being non-binary pretty good, but if I accidentally said something really offensive, please tell me and know that it wasn't intentional!
> 
> As usual, thanks for reading my original work, shoot me a comment if you feel like it because they make my day!


	15. Poker Tables and Police

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akio, Levitan, and Ryan try and scramble for cash in Las Vegas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: uh, actually none really? Dang. Gambling, I guess.

There was neon everywhere.

Akio was practically dragging his feet by the time they reached Las Vegas. His stomach rumbled loudly and he felt a bit weak. He wondered if this was some sort of side effect from coming back to life and having to heal from a broken neck.

Ryan had been practically asleep on his feet when he’d finally relented to letting Levitan carry him half an hour ago. He snored lightly, arms draped loosely around Levitan’s neck, as they walked into the city. Akio pretended not to see Levitan’s silly little smile. He knew that they liked carrying their son.

The lights were so bright and it was so  _ loud  _ compared to the dark quiet of the desert. Akio’s eyes stung a bit from the bright lights and his ears were ringing from the sounds of people shouting, the loud music pouring from every bar and club that they passed by, and the traffic whizzing by on the streets.

“Lev?” he asked.

“Mmyeah?” they said, looking a little sleepy.

“I’m really tired.” Akio yawned. “We need to find somewhere to rest.”

“You’re tellin’ me. Alas, looks like we’re gonna have to make a little cash, first.” They tried to jostle Ryan awake. “Psst, sleepyhead. Wakey-wakey.”

Ryan yawned, groaned, and stretched. “Whuzzat?”

“I’m gonna drop you down. We gotta make some money, stat.”

“Right, right.” He wiggled out of Levitan’s grip and touched his feet onto the ground. He ran a hand through his dusty black curls. “What’s the plan?”

Levitan scratched their head. “Well… we’re in  _ Vegas. _ Plenty o’ room for suckers.”

“Oh, I could find a dozen people to rob in twenty minutes,” said Ryan confidently. “Just let me run off and I’ll be back with cash, no problem.”

Levitan looked hesitant. “I dunno, Ryan. It’s a real big town we’re in here, an’-”

Ryan sighed. “Lev, I ain’t an  _ idiot.  _ I know what I’m about. Trust me, I can do this.”

“I-I  _ know  _ you can, Squirt, just-”

“Think about it,” said Ryan. “We can cover twice the ground. Meet back here in one hour, pool our cash. Sounds good?”

Levitan made a face. “Son, it’s been a  _ long  _ day, I don’t want you to-”

“One hour, that’s it!” he said. “You can hit the poker table, which you wouldn’t be able to do with me ‘round since I don’t pass for twenty one, and I can do what I’m best at. C’mon, Lev. It’s a good plan!”

They shifted from one foot to the other. “One hour?”

“Yeah, just one!”

With a long and reluctant sigh, they relented. “Okay.  _ Just  _ one hour, then we meet back here, stat!”

“You’re being smothering,” he said with a pout.

Levitan smiled and ruffled his hair. “What can I say? That’s my  _ job. _ ”

Ryan laughed and swatted their hand away. “Don’t  _ worry  _ about me, Lev. I can take care of myself perfectly well.”

“I know, I know.” They put their hands in their pockets.

“What’re we gonna do with Dr. Fuckstick?” asked Ryan, jabbing a thumb at Akio.

“I am literally right here,” he said flatly. “No need to be so rude.”

Levitan gave an exasperated sigh. “He’s your problem.” They pulled out the switchblade from their coat and tossed it to Ryan, who caught it with one hand. “You said you can take care of yourself, so have fun babysitting.”

“But  _ Lev- _ ” Ryan whined.

“No butts except yours out there makin’ cash! This is what you wanted, kiddo. Have fun, y’all.” They gave a two-fingered salute, turned around, and walked straight into the nearest casino.

“Welp,” said Ryan, tucking the knife into his pocket. “We have a few options. C’mon, lackey.” He gestured for Akio to follow as he began to walk briskly down the street.

“Carry  _ one  _ thing  _ one  _ time,” grumbled Akio, following along behind. The duffel bag was still on his shoulder.

 

Levitan didn’t have any ID, but they had that winning combination of being a smooth-talker with a sweet Texas accent and being  _ incredibly  _ intimidating. Nobody gave them a second look or even bothered to ask them anything except whether they would like a drink.

Before sitting down at the poker table, they went into the bathroom, wiped all the dust from their jacket, washed their hands and face, made sure their teeth were clean, fluffed up their buzz cut as much as was able, and walked back out of the bathroom with a confident swagger in their step.

Now at the poker table, they were only able to buy a tiny stack of poker chips. They were playing against one person who was clearly an amature, and a two other people who had  _ massive  _ piles of chips next to them.

Levitan decided to play the naive card.

“Sure is a lovely evenin’, ain’t it?” they said with their most charming grin.

“It is,” said the amature player. He looked like a middle-aged dad type with an ugly paisley shirt. It was purple and mauve.

The other two people gave curt nods.

Levitan decided to keep being chatty. Being  _ seemingly  _ open was the key, here. “It’s my first day in town, y’know. Sure is somethin’ to go from the countryside to all these bright lights. Sure is somethin’.” They arranged the cards in their hand and made a show of wincing. Their cards weren’t superb, but they intended to lose the first round or two.

“Tell me about it!” said the paisley shirt guy. “It’s good to get away from the kids for a little bit. I love ‘em to death, but they’re hellions.”

“How many you got?” asked Levitan, putting out a few chips.

“Three. Nine, six, and three. They’re so energetic, I dunno how I’m supposed to keep up with them, ha!” The paisley shirt guy put out a few chips.

The two other players matched their bets. One was smoking a cigar and a dark suit, the other was wearing a button-up and a visor. They both wore matching serious expressions.

“Mine’s a teenager,” said Levitan, showing their hand. “A different kinda challenge.”

The paisley shirt guy let out a breath as the man with the cigar took the chips. “I bet. Son or daughter?” He didn’t seem to be interested in playing to win, particularly.

“Son, presumably. He hasn’t told me otherwise.” Levitan only had a few chips to work with, so they decided to make their next round count. The dealer dealt out the cards again, and this hand was quite good. They discarded a two, picked up an ace, then let out a frustrated sigh.

“Is he a troublemaker?” he asked with a grin. “Bringin’ home girls an’ stuff?”

“Pff, I wish. All he does is play video games and give me a headache.”

“ _ Ahh, _ that kind of trouble.”

Levitan shrugged. “I’m just glad I get to spend time with him. We haven’t been so close as of late, I’m tryin’ to make up for lost time.”

“Hey,” he said, “there’s always time to enjoy the company of your kids, no matter how old they are.”

Whoa, no need to get  _ too  _ on the nose with this whole thing. They gave a convincing chuckle. “Ha, try tell him that.”

Time to reveal the hand. Levitan swept the table with their full house.

“Nice hand!” said the paisley shirt guy. “Think you’ll stay lucky?”

“Who knows?” they said, wearing a big, guileless grin.

The man with the suit was puffing angrily on his cigar, and the guy with the visor was wearing a death glare.

Levitan looked up at the clock on the wall before collecting their chips. They had forty minutes.

Plenty of time.

 

“We have quite a few options, here!” said Ryan cheerily as Akio lugged the duffel bag behind him. “We could pretend to be homeless and play somebody for a sucker.”

“What do you mean  _ pretend? _ ” grumbled Akio.

“Please,” said Ryan, flicking his wrist. “Your glasses give you away.”

“What  _ about  _ them?” he asked defensively.

“They’re nice frames. Whoa, wait!” He leaned in. “Is that a  _ crack? _ ”

“No thanks to  _ you _ ,” he said, backing up a few paces. “That scheme isn’t going to work. What’s next?”

“Pickpocketing,” said Ryan. “It’s what I do best.  _ Doy _ .”

They walked by the front entrance to a club. Music and laughter poured out onto the street from inside. There was a big guy leaning against the wall by the door, texting on his phone.

“Watch and learn, young padawan,” said Ryan, cracking his knuckles.

Akio stood a safe distance away and watched Ryan creep up on this massive guy. Part of him thought he should stop him, but he was a smart kid. He could handle himself.

Ryan crept up quietly and reached his hand into the pocket of the man.

Just his luck, the man abruptly shifted his position, crushing Ryan’s arm against the wall. Akio winced at the squeal Ryan made.

The man  _ finally  _ noticed Ryan and grabbed him by the collar of his t-shirt. “The  _ hell  _ do you think you’re doing, kid?”

It was only then that Akio noticed the earpiece he was wearing, and the tag on his shirt that said “Security”. Great. Trust Ryan to try and pickpocket a  _ bouncer _ .

“ _ Let me go! _ ” said Ryan, trying to struggle out of his grip.

The bouncer reached into his pocket and pulled out a radio. “Joey? Mind comin’ up here? Got a little rat ‘round here tryin’ to pick pockets.”

Akio had no idea what to do. He considered dumping the bag and running back to the casino they saw Levitan go into, see if they couldn’t get Ryan out of this situation. But before he could do anything, Ryan popped his head out of the neck hole of his t-shirt, slipped his arms out, and ran off, leaving the bouncer holding a sweaty t-shirt that said “Eat, Pray, Love” on it.

Akio clumsily ran after him, the duffel bag bouncing on his hip. He could hear the bouncer calling after them.

“Bad plan,” said Ryan, panting as they sprinted until their legs and lungs burned. “Gotta think of a better plan.”

“ _ You’re literally the actual worst, _ ” said Akio as they dashed around a corner.

They didn’t have time to stop before they literally crashed  _ right  _ into someone walking around the same corner.

The three of them went sprawling on the pavement. The duffel bag bounced once and rolled before coming to a stop, Akio knocked his forehead with the man they ran into, and Ryan let out a screech as the bare skin of his back skidded painfully on the sidewalk.

“God, I’m so sorry!” said Akio, staggering back, a hand over his forehead.

As soon as he saw the uniform and the badge, he knew that they’d fucked up even  _ more _ , if it was possible.

“Where are you two off to in such a hurry?” asked the police officer, adjusting his cap.

“Uh,” said Akio.

“Nowhere,” added Ryan weakly, touching his temple to see whether he was bleeding.

They heard the thudding footsteps of the bouncer coming up behind them. “ _ Where’d you two go? _ ”

“ _ Shit! _ ” Akio pulled Ryan to his feet with one hand, grabbing something off of the ground with the other, Ryan seized the duffel bag with one hand, and the two of them ran off again, forcing their way through the crowd who’d stopped to watch when they’d crashed into the the cop. They heard shouting and ruckus behind them as the bouncer and the police officer tried to catch up to them, but they were both running on adrenaline and they didn’t stop until the sounds died down from behind them.

It was gonna be a long night.

 

Levitan was doing okay, and that was  _ perfect _ . They had a few more chips in front of them than before. Paisley shirt guy was still playing, but he was almost out of chips.

“It’s been a fun time talkin’ to you,” he said, placing a modest bet. “Where ‘bouts you from?”

“Ah, born n’ Texas, but I’ve been outta state for a while.” Levitan matched his bet. Their cards were okay, probably wouldn’t win.

Surprisingly, their two pairs and a high card trumped the other players at the table. The man in the paisley shirt was nice enough about it, he wasn’t even really paying attention, but the glares that they got from the man with the cigar and the man with the visor almost made them snort. Like  _ those two  _ could intimidate  _ them?  _ Get real.

They gathered the chips close to them. They planned to lose another hand or two, then break out the real guns.

“That was real lucky,” they said with a hapless smile. It was hard for them to look innocent, the scars on their face and hands tended to detract from the effect. To make up for it, they tried to use their sweetest voice and accent to butter these suckers up into thinking that they were some clueless hick from the backwaters of Texas. 

They took their new cards from the dealer. A crappy hand. Perfect. They placed a very small bet on it.

This was going very well. They’d set up the guise of “clueless poker newbie” quite well. It wouldn’t be difficult to swing into twelfth gear.

 

They had about twenty minutes left until they were supposed to regroup. They were walking slowly down the sidewalk, after having finally outrun the cop who was chasing them.

It was a warm night for November. They were sweaty and their t-shirts stuck to their backs. They were still slightly out of breath from running.

“Scrap pickpocketing,” said Ryan. “It was a bad idea, anyway.” He stuck his hands into his pockets. He was wearing a new shirt that said “MAROON” on it in orange bubble letters. “You have any ideas, Dr. Fuckstick?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you refer to me by my actual name,” said Akio dryly.

“Nah, I  _ must  _ have at some point,” said Ryan.

“Mm, I don’t think so.”

Ryan stopped to think about it. He scratched his zitty chin. “Huh. How ‘bout that?”

“I kind of  _ like  _ being referred to by my name. It’s my  _ name,  _ you know.”

“Lev doesn’t usually call me by my name,” said Ryan thoughtfully. He kicked a pebble and it bounced into the busy street. “I usually get called “Squirt” or “kiddo”.”

“So far, they’ve only called me “pint-sized” or “you, there”,” said Akio, “or something else equally insulting.”

“Eh, don’t take it to heart,” said Ryan, waving him off. “Lev only calls you by your name when things are serious. When I was a kid and I heard “ _ Ryan Charles Reeves _ ” being shouted through the apartment, I knew it was time to run.”

“Huh. Cool.”

“Be flattered,” said Ryan, nudging him with his elbow. “Levitan’s decided to call you pint-sized. That’s a  _ good  _ thing.”

“I’m not sure how I should be flattered by that,” he said dryly. After he’d moved to America, he’d always been self-conscious about his height.

“It’s a nickname,” he said cheerily. “Means they like you. It wouldn’t have stuck if they didn’t, y’know. If they’d decided that they didn’t care for you, they probably would have started calling you by your last name, no title.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow. Cool.”

Akio wasn’t sure exactly what to think about that. Well, he knew that Levitan liked him a bit. It was weird to hear the words said out loud. What the heck had he done to earn that? It didn’t seem like Levitan let people grow on them, easily.

“Y’know,” said Ryan as they turned and walked down a small alleyway to get back to the meeting place, “at first, I thought you were a bit of a bad egg, y’know? I had fun breaking your shins.”

Akio decided to stop for half a minute. He dropped the duffel bag onto the ground. “I remember. You laughed.”

Ryan chuckled. “Yeah, hah. It was kinda funny. But now I feel  _ bad _ , y’know?”

“Do you?” said Akio skeptically.

“Yeah!” he said earnestly. “I really do! That must’a hurt like a sonuvabitch.”

“It did. You have no idea.”

“Eh, I have  _ some  _ idea.” Ryan leaned against the brick wall, arms folded. “I’ve had my fair share of rough scrapes.”

Akio looked at this kid. This  _ kid.  _ He was gawky and lanky and zitty. His chin had a few hairs and his eyes had bags under them. He was… so young.

“What’re you lookin’ at me like that, for?” asked Ryan sourly.

“You’re just… a kid.”

“Um, I’m  _ fifteen,  _ so excuse  _ you. _ ”

“I repeat,” he said, “you’re a kid. You’re literally less than half my age.”

“Congratulations,” said Ryan, “you can do basic math.” He did a dramatic slow clap. “Your parents must be so proud. Oh, wait, you don’t have any!” He licked his finger and made a hissing sound as he touched an imaginary stovetop. “ _ Burn. _ ”

“Ha-fucking-ha,” said Akio, leaning against the same wall. “My point is, I’m just kind of… I dunno. Impressed? Maybe a bit sorry for you?”

“Don’t be  _ sorry  _ for me,” snapped Ryan, grabbing the duffel bag. “Pity is for losers and suckers tryin’ to scam folks outta money, and you don’t  _ got  _ any money! C’mon, let’s get outta here. We gotta meet Lev.”

“Hey, wait.” Akio grabbed the strap of the duffel bag. “Wait up.”

“Oh, you want this?” Ryan let the bag drop from his shoulder. “All yours, Dr. Fuckstick.”

“Don’t call me that,” said Akio.

Ryan made a show of huffing and rolling his eyes.

Aw, hell. Akio decided he could use a laugh. “Dr. Fuckstick is my father,” he said. “Just call me Shitbuscuit.”

It took Ryan a second to get the joke, but when he did, he laughed loudly and slapped his thigh. “Nice one, Shitbuscuit!”

“Could’ve had me fooled, Dicklord,” said Akio, tossing the duffel over to Ryan.

The unexpected weight knocked him flat on his ass, but he didn’t seem bothered by it. “Ooh, “Dicklord”! Is that the best you got, old man?”

“I could insult you in Japanese, how would you like that?” he asked, offering a hand to Ryan.

Ryan took his hand and let Akio haul him to his feet. “ _ Oh my god,  _ teach me Japanese swears so I can cuss out Lev and they wouldn’t even know! That would be  _ hilarious! _ ”

Akio grinned. “Unlimited potential here, Dicklord. I’m thinking secret conversations in front of other people! There was a guy at my old workplace who also spoke Japanese, we’d talk shit all the time then when people asked what we were talking about, we  _ always  _ said anime.”

“ _ Hah! _ Alright Shitbuscuit, teach me some curse words!”

 

Ryan had three Japanese curse words added to his repertoire of language by the time they got to the meeting place. According to Akio’s watch, they were a few minutes late. Surprisingly, Levitan wasn’t there, yet.

“They’ll probably be here, soon,” said Ryan. “Fuck, I can’t believe we didn’t get  _ any  _ cash. How pathetic is  _ that? _ ”

“Mm, not a hundred percent true,” said Akio. He held up a wallet.

Ryan’s eyes went wide. “The  _ hell  _ did you find that?” he asked, snatching it from him. He opened it up. “Fuck. Only twenty bucks. Still, better than nothing. Where’d you get it?”

“The cop dropped it when we smacked into him,” said Akio, plucking the wallet from his fingers. “It was pure luck.”

“Don’t waste all our luck at once,” said Ryan. “It’s a limited resource. Where the  _ hell  _ is Lev?”

“Are they usually late to stuff?”

“No, they’re a firm believer in punctuality.” He pointed to the casino they’d seen them walk into. “Try in there, first. They might see where they went.”

“Aren’t you…?”

“I don’t pass for twenty one,  _ Shitbuscuit.  _ Get in there!”

“Alright, alright. Don’t be bossy, Dicklord.” He adjusted his glasses and walked into the casino.

He got stopped at the door immediately. Apparently he didn’t pass for twenty-one, either.

“You got any ID, kid?” asked the bouncer. He had “ _ kill _ ” tattooed on the knuckles of one hand, and “ _ thug _ ” on the other. Not enticing.

Akio’s ears burned. “No, man. I left it back at the hotel. Look, I’m just here for my friend.”

“ _ Sure _ you are.”

Akio let out an exasperated sigh. “I’ll just  _ ask,  _ then. Have you seen a tall person, maybe six foot something, with a blonde buzzcut, a leather jacket, and a scar on their face? They probably came in about an hour ago?”

“Hmm.” The bouncer scratched his large chin. “Buzzcut and a scar? Yeah, I think I saw them come in.”

“Can I go get them?” he asked pleadingly. “We have somewhere to be.”

“I can imagine. It’s really late.”

Akio checked his watch. It was after two in the morning. No wonder he felt dead on his feet. “Look, man. I’ll just be in and out, can’t you-”

“Sorry, buddy. Can’t let you in.”

“W-what? But-”

“ _ You look like you’re fuckin’ twelve,  _ you’re not getting in without some ID!”

Akio clenched his fists. “Come  _ on! _ I’m  _ thirty four! _ ”

“I’ll believe it when I see it!” snapped the bouncer. “No ID? Out the door, bud!”

“But-”

“Hey, pint-sized!” Levitan sauntered out of the door into the casino, cigar smoke trailing along with them. They had an enormous grin on their face. “Whatcha doin’ pickin’ fights? That’s a dick move.”

“This your friend?” asked the bouncer with a jerk of his thumb. “Well, you’re done here. Beat it, kid.”

“Yeah, yeah” he said, sounding defeated. He and Levitan stepped away from the door. “Lev, I’m gonna go ahead and guess that you didn’t get ID’d.”

“Um, no,” they said, rolling their eyes. “Because I look like a grown-up. Wait… oh my god!” They laughed. “ _ You  _ god ID’d! Ha!” They draped an arm around Akio’s shoulders as they walked back out onto the street. “Must be your glasses, they make you look all wide-eyed and youthful! You’re missing the cynical  _ squint  _ of adulthood!”

“He said I looked  _ twelve. _ ”

Levitan laughed even harder. They wiped a tear from their eye. “ _ Aw,  _ that’s  _ adorable! _ ”

Akio was as red as a beet by this point. “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up.”

“Hey, Lev!” Ryan hopped up from his place on the duffel bag. “How’d the poker go?”

“It went-” Levitan cut themselves off mid-sentence. They pointed to Ryan’s orange “MAROON” shirt. “Weren’t you wearing another shirt?”

“Long story,” said Ryan. “Hope you did better than we did. We only got twenty bucks.”

“What do you mean  _ we? _ ” asked Akio, holding up the wallet.

Levitan let out a whistle. “Where’d  _ you  _ get  _ that? _ ”

“Grabbed it from a cop after we knocked him on the ground,” he said, pulling out the twenty bucks to show Levitan. “How’d  _ you  _ do?”

Levitan snorted. They pulled out a thick stack of twenties. “Four hundred bucks. Should be a’ight for a good while.”

Ryan’s jaw dropped. “ _ No way! _ ”

“Pfft, don’t look all impressed or nothin’.” Levitan grinned widely, took the wallet from Akio, and stuffed the money inside. “We can probably get somewhere  _ nice  _ to stay for a night. A slick sorta place, with running water, clean towels, and bed-bug free sheets! Might as well treat ourselves, no?”

Ryan whooped and pumped a fist in the air. “Alright!”

Akio still held the twenty bucks. He tentatively held it out for Levitan to take.

Levitan closed his fingers around it. “Nah, keep it. I’m loaded.”

“Oh, okay.” Akio folded up the twenty bucks and stuck it in his pocket. He had no idea why his face felt so hot.

“Let’s go somewhere so we can catch a lil’ shut-eye.” Even Levitan looked tired by this point. The bags under their eyes were dark, and their broad shoulders were imperceptibly slouched. “It’s been a helluva day, and nothin’ takes the punch outta ya except dyin’ and bein’ dragged back from the sweet embrace of the oblivion into the cold, harsh light of this cruel world.”

“Wow, real deep,” said Ryan sardonically.

Levitan hissed through their teeth and stuck the new wallet into their back pocket. “It might seem kinda easy now, kiddo. It don’t get easier, lemme tell ya.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” said Ryan as they started to walk down the strip, looking out for a hotel. 

“Well…” Levitan sighed. “Forget ‘bout it. It’s too late to be morbid.”

Akio walked between them. Ryan retold the exploits the two of them just suffered through, and Levitan told them how they’d played a table full of poker players for suckers then slipped a guy wearing an ugly shirt a hundred bucks just for being a decent fella, they could use a little karma. Ryan didn’t much care for that.

This was… nice.

He waited behind Levitan and Ryan while they checked out a room in a nice-looking hotel. He realized that this was the most fun he’d ever had in his whole life. This was the closest thing he’d ever had to a real  _ connection _ with someone, anyone. It felt so good.

They could be in Los Angeles by tomorrow evening. He had that long to figure out how to fix this situation, how to get out of his lie without hurting Levitan. Maybe there was no good way to do it, and all he could do was run before they got wise. Maybe he could think up some kind of clever plan to make things okay, sweet talk his way around the situation.

Maybe he could do a lot of things.

Maybe he could muscle up, come clean, and face the consequences. Maybe he couldn’t.

… Maybe he could figure out some kind of excuse to keep this  _ thing  _ the three of them had going. He didn’t want to give it up. Maybe he could actually figure out what this  _ thing  _ they had  _ was  _ in the first place.

Y’know. Maybe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh, character stuff!
> 
> As usual, thanks for reading my original stuff, and +2 thanks for being patient. Been busy. Gonna be busy this weekend, but Nanowrimo must go on!
> 
> Shoot me a comment if you're having a good time, shoot me one if you saw something I can fix. Thanks!


	16. Lies Uncovered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levitan and Akio have a conversation on the balcony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: torture mentions, a shit ton of dialogue, FEELS

There were three queen-sized beds in the motel, a  _ deep  _ bathtub, a minibar, and a flat-screen TV. The sheets were soft, it was nice and quiet, and the bathroom was sparkling and clean. There was even a balcony with a view.

“ _ This  _ is what a hundred bucks a night gets you!” said Levitan, waving their arm extravagantly. “ _ Magnifique! _ ”

Ryan wore a grin like a kid on Christmas. “I call the bed farthest from the window!” He hopped across the room and threw himself onto the queen, bouncing once before settling. He grabbed the remote from the side table and switched on the TV. “Ooh, X-Files reruns! Nice!”

Akio kicked off his shoes and sat on the bed closest to the balcony. It was a gorgeous view with all the neon lights and the desert in the distance, but it was bright even though it was about three in the morning. He yawned and pulled off his jeans and sweaty t-shirt before sliding under the blankets. “Ugh, I feel dead to the world.”

Levitan sat on their bed, unlaced their boots, and pulled their feet from them. “Jesus, I reek. I’m gonna shower.” They pointed to Ryan. “Switch that TV off. Go to sleep.”

Ryan whined. “But  _ Lev! _ ”

“You can watch TV tomorrow. It’s three AM, and you’ve had a rough day.” They grabbed some fresh clothes from the duffel bag and locked the bathroom door behind them.

“Pfft, dyin’ ain’t that big a  _ deal  _ to us,” he said, rolling his eyes. Nevertheless, he switched off the TV, pulled off his shoes and clothes, and climbed under the sheets in just his boxers.

Akio lay on his back in the dark room, the lights of Vegas blinking and flashing outside, visible through the glass sliding doors to the balcony. He could hear the shower running. Levitan hummed to themselves as they showered.

For some reason, his face was bright red at the thought of Levitan showering. He’d seen their arms, felt their strength… he knew that they were muscular, but he’d never seen the rest of their body. He was a bit curious, he had to admit. Levitan probably had  _ amazing  _ abs. They’d probably feel really nice to the touch.

Oh god, maybe he should quit that line of thinking while he was still ahead.

Levitan hummed in the shower, their voice barely audible over the running water. Akio pulled the blankets up over his shoulders and closed his eyes. He didn’t fall asleep until after Levitan had shut the shower off and padded past him to climb into their own bed.

Akio peeked his eyes open as they passed and caught a glimpse of them. They were wearing boxer briefs and a loose-fitting tank top with nothing underneath. Didn’t leave much to the imagination.

He blushed, rolled over, and finally fell asleep.

 

Levitan woke with a start. They didn’t remember their dreams, but they had a twisted feeling in their stomach and the bitter taste of bile in the back of their throat. Their skin had a light sheen of cold sweat that made them feel chilled. They shivered, pulled on their jacket, grabbed their cigarettes and a lighter and went to smoke on the balcony, leaving the glass door open behind them.

It was dark out. The noise of the city was far enough below that it served as white noise. They lit the cigarette, held it to their lips, and took a deep pull. They puffed out a smoke ring and watched it dissipate in the dry breeze.

It was a bit chillier, but they didn’t feel like getting properly dressed. They zipped up their coat and leaned against the balcony railing, tapping the ash from the end of their cigarette. Was a decent night’s sleep too much to ask? Apparently so. They’d forgotten what it was like to sleep well.

Fuck, that was depressing.

“Hey.”

Levitan turned. Akio was leaning against the doorway. He was missing his glasses and he was wearing a shirt that was  _ way  _ too big for him. It almost came down to his knees.

“Um,” said Levitan, raising an eyebrow. “I don’t think that’s yours.”

Akio looked surprised. He pulled it away from his body and realized that it was the “ _ I Want to Believe _ ” shirt that Levitan owned. “Oh, I just grabbed the first thing I saw.”

“It’s fine. Why’re  _ you  _ awake?”

“Uh, you sorta woke me up when you walked by.”

“Damn. Sorry.” They didn’t feel too sorry. It was nice to have company. They puffed another smoke ring.

Akio checked his watch. “It’s like six AM. We could get a little more sleep.”

“Mm, maybe in a bit.”

Akio sighed and padded over to them. He leaned against the railing next to them. “Nice view, huh?”

“Pretty nice,” they agreed. God, their stomach felt so twisted. Whatever their dream had been, it was shitty.

“Are you… okay?”

Levitan was sort of surprised by this question. They gave him a blank look at first.

Akio took this as offence and quickly amended. “Sorry, you don’t have to answer that.”

They waved him off. “No, it’s fine. I was just… a little bit surprised, is all.”

“Oh. Why is that?”

“I dunno. Not usually a question I’m asked, is all.” They stubbed out their cigarette. “How’re you?”

“Tired, but not as bad as I was a few hours ago. Kinda hungry.”

“We can get food in a bit, just hang tight.”

“Yeah, I sorta wanna go back to bed after this, see if I can’t get a little more sleep. It’s a big day.”

“Yep, I estimate we should get to LA this afternoon if we play our cards right.”

Akio picked at the hairs on his forearm. “Yeah. Right.”

Something sounded wrong to Levitan, but Akio didn’t linger on the moment. Instead, he turned his focus back to them.

“You didn’t answer my question. Are you okay?”

Levitan sighed. “That question has  _ way _ too many different answers.”

“Hey, we have time.”

“Yeah, we do.” Levitan decided not to beat around the bush about it. No point, Akio wasn’t stupid, not really. He would know if they lied. “Well, I’m sorta okay. A bunch’a different things are playing into my level of “okayness”.”

“Like what?” he asked, stepping a tiny bit closer. Their elbows were touching.

“I have my son back, I have my freedom back, and I have my  _ life  _ back. Those are all things playin’ in my favour.”

Akio sensed their hesitation. “But…?”

“But I’ll never be  _ really  _ happy,” they said. “That fucks me up. I’ll  _ always  _ get nightmares, I'll  _ always  _ regret the things I’ve done to keep my freedom, and I’ll  _ always  _ be fighting for every scrap of hope I can claw my fingers into. It… it ain’t  _ fair. _ I’m never gonna be a happy lil’ suburban parent with a home, a steady job, and genuine security. That just ain’t in the cards for me, and I hate that.”

“You wanna live in the  _ suburbs? _ ” asked Akio skeptically.

“What? Ew, no. I just mean… most folks get a  _ chance  _ to have a peaceful life, but I never did. I haven’t lived in one place for more than three or four years since I left home to join the war.”

“The… First World War?”

They smiled. “I was a nurse. My job was a combination of retrieving wounded men from the field and helpin’ with amputations. Nasty work, but someone had to do it.”

“Jesus. So you have wartime on your plate, too?”

“I have an exceptionally unique and varied amount of trauma to heal from,” they said. “It’s been awhile since I’ve been in any wars like  _ that.  _ Fuck, that was back when I used to believe that good always triumphed over evil. Stupid, huh?”

“It’s not,” said Akio quietly.

“Mm, it kinda is. In more recent years, I haven’t had much evidence to support that theory aside from bedtimes stories. But y’know, maybe I’m just a cynic.” They turned so their back was leaning against the railing. 

Akio matched their position. “You have every right to be.”

“True enough. When you’ve been through as much as I have, the world… looks different.”

“Different how?” he asked nervously.

“Well,” they said thoughtfully, “I won’t say it “loses its colour”. That ain’t right. The world is an interesting place. Not good or bad, not beautiful or disgusting… just interesting. When you live long enough to see things over a large span of time, you see patterns. Relationships. Maybe they’re in your head, maybe they’re connected by some strings that we’re just too small to see. I refuse to say “higher power”, if there was a God, there’s no  _ way  _ He would let all these awful things happen to decent folks.” They rubbed their eyes. “Fuck, if He  _ did  _ let these things happen, he ain’t deserving of my respect, anyhow.”

Akio nodded along. He didn’t really understand how Levitan could see the world in such a neutral way, so he said, “Do you really think that there’s no such thing as good or evil?”

“I didn’t say  _ that _ ,” they said, “I said the  _ world  _ ain’t good or evil. People can commit great acts of kindness and great acts of cruelty. But the  _ world?  _ The  _ universe?  _ Fuck, it doesn’t give a shit. It just  _ is,  _ and there ain’t nothin’ that you, me, nor anyone else can do ‘bout it _. _ ”

“I think I get it,” he said slowly. “You’re really smart, you know that?”

“Pfft,” they snorted, “don’t look all  _ surprised,  _ now.”

“Sorry,” he said quickly, “you just come across really… sorta like…”

“A big, dumb, brutish hick?”

Akio flushed. “I wasn’t gonna say that.”

“You were thinkin’ it loudly,” they said tartly. “I know I ain’t a rocket scientist, I’ve never really been one for science or math, but I got an alright head on my shoulders. No need to go  _ insultin’  _ me or nothin’.”

Akio winced. “I’m sorry, Levitan. I didn’t mean to offend.”

“It’s alright,” they said, “I know what I look like. Like I said, I got a decent head on my shoulders. I can use a fuckin’ mirror.”

Akio tapped his fingers on his thigh. “Well, I think you’re smart. I can do math and equations and stuff, but I can’t read a room to save my life, in tough situations I freeze, and… well, most of my skills are pretty damn useless.”

“So?”

“So, there are different kinds of smart.”

“Yeah. I guess so.”

“You’re not just smart,” he said. “You’re really strong. You’re brave, quick-thinking, and loyal. I have a lot of respect for you.”

Levitan raised their eyebrows. “Really?”

“Really,” he said. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“‘Cause I’m a big, dumb, brutish hick who personally ensured that your quiet, comfortable life was somethin’ that you could never go back to?” they said slowly, like he couldn’t speak English properly.

“I’ve never felt happier in my whole life.”

Levitan’s jaw went slack. “ _ What? _ ”

“Yeah,” he said, looking sheepish, “kinda dumb, huh?”

“D’you know… why that could be?”

“No idea,” he said, shaking his head. Levitan could see it was a lie. He knew.

Levitan tilted their head back and looked up at the smoggy sky. A few stars were visible, but not many due to the bright lights. “I feel pretty happy right now, too.”

“Good. You deserve it.”

“I really don’t.”

“I can’t think of someone who’s worked harder for their happiness, Lev.”

Something about him using their nickname made their insides curl pleasantly. They gave a sigh. “I’ve done horrible things. I’ve killed more people than you’ve even  _ met,  _ probably. I’ve ruined people’s lives, all so I could selfishly keep mine afloat. Fuck, you’re  _ on the list  _ of people whose lives I’ve fucked up. You should  _ hate  _ me, not  _ respect  _ me.”

“Lev,” he said, “my life has been better with you in it. I care about you.”

“You really shouldn’t,” they said quietly. “Nobody should.”

“Well, Ryan-”

“He shouldn’t either!” they said, clenching their fists. “He’s been… fuck, I dunno. He was one of the best things that ever happened to me. I wanted to get rid of him at first,  _ please  _ never tell him that, but… the situation changed, and I had to keep him.” 

“Damn,” he said softly. He didn’t press for details, but he let the silence hang so Levitan could speak. He was good at this.

“Yeah.” They relaxed their fists shoved their hands into their coat pockets. “If I’d given him up, he could’a had a happy childhood. He could’a gone to a nice school, made friends, been  _ normal,  _ but instead he had to be toted around when I moved from house to house, and I left him stuffed into the back of a closet so he wouldn’t be kidnapped and experimented on like I was.”

“You saved him.”

“If he didn’t live with me, he wouldn’t have  _ needed  _ to be saved. I could’ve done a million things to keep us safer, make our lives easier, but I didn’t do shit.” They hung their head. “I’m terrified about when he’s gonna realize what a shitty person I really am.”

“He thinks the world of you,” said Akio.

“I know. He won’t think that forever.”

“He’s your son. He loves you.”

“I’m gonna do somethin’, someday,” they said bitterly, “somethin’ that’ll make him realize that I’m not a good person. He’ll hate me, he’ll hate me for lyin’ to him about being good, he’ll hate me for the things I’ve done, and he’ll hate me for draggin’ him into this  _ hell  _ that I call my life.”

Akio didn’t say anything. He couldn’t. He put his hand on their elbow.

Levitan’s throat felt tight. “I’m so fucked up. I’ve tortured. I’ve killed. I’ve  _ been  _ tortured. I’ve  _ been  _ killed. Think about the  _ worst  _ things one human being could do to another. I’ve done ‘em, and I’ve had ‘em done to me.” Their eyes stung. Were they gonna cry? Jesus, they hoped not. 

Akio made a soft, sympathetic sound. He leaned his head against their shoulder, hand still on their elbow.

“I sometimes wonder what I would’ve been like if Monsoon never existed,” they said. Their voice sounded harsh and cracked. “I’d be dead by now, certainly. I’d have gone to war, maybe become a pilot like I did, but… things would’a been  _ different _ . Would I have married? Had grandkids? Gotten a good job? Or would I still be as shitty as I am, now?”

“I don’t think you’re shitty.”

“Empty words, but thanks.”

“I really don’t,” he said earnestly. “I like you, Lev. I don’t know how you did it, but somehow you made me like you. Even after you kidnapped me, tormented me, tried to bury me alive, and killed me twice, I ended up  _ liking  _ you.”

“You’re an idiot.”

“Maybe.”

They chuckled. His weight felt nice against their arm. “At least you admit it.”

“I really don’t understand it,” he said. “There’s just… something about you.”

Levitan got that funny curly feeling in their stomach again. Something was going on that they weren’t familiar with. It was a nice feeling, so they didn’t want the moment to stop. They let their head lean against Akio’s. It felt really… intimate.

Akio sighed and nestled closer. “You deserve to feel good about yourself. You’ve done bad stuff, but only because you had to. You didn’t do it because you enjoyed it.”

“Sometimes I did,” they admitted quietly. “I… always feel so rotten, after.”

Akio’s breath caught in his throat. He shook it off quickly. “You did it to  _ survive _ , Lev. I’m not gonna pretend I know your whole story, but I believe that you have a good heart. You believe in freedom, in kindness, and in loyalty. That’s more than a lot of people have.”

“But-”

“It’s Monsoon’s fault,” said Akio, tightening his grip on their elbow. “They twisted your arm. If you hadn’t been forced into those situations, would you have taken the jobs you had to? Would you have committed those crimes?”

They thought about it. “... No. I suppose not.”

“You didn’t start out this way, they made you into the person you had to become in order to survive. They did this to you. You’re a victim.”

“Ugh, I hate being called that,” they said, grimacing.

“Sorry,” he said quickly, “I can see why, but… they took everything from you. You did anything you could to get it back. That’s why you did the things you had to do.”

“I hate who I am,” they said quietly.

“You shouldn’t,” he said. He stepped in front of them, put his hands on theirs. “You’re so tough, so brave. Fucking smart. Loyal, loving, and kind even when you don’t always need to be. You’d stake everything to protect what and who you love. You’re upfront and honest, and you’re good-looking, too. I think you’re amazing.”

Levitan was stunned. Their face felt hot. “I… what?”

“I think you’re amazing,” he said. Levitan could see the open honesty in his face. He was telling the truth. “I think you’re too hard on yourself. I think you’re blaming yourself for things outside of your control.”

“Wow,” they said, sounding slightly awed. “I… thanks.” Their eyes were watery. They quickly wiped their tears. “Nobody’s ever… damn, I think I needed that.”

They wanted to hug him. Just a bit.

“You’re a good man, Akio.”

He smiled. “What’re friends for?”

Levitan smiled. “We should get a little more sleep. Big day comin’ up. Gotta get to LA.”

Akio’s expression dropped. He pulled his hands away and folded his arms. “Oh. Right. LA.”

“Don’t sound too excited,” they said. There it was again. Something was wrong. They had to find out what. “I don’t s’pose you wanna run your strategies by me before we actually  _ launch  _ your plan?”

Akio shuffled his bare feet on the balcony floor. “Uh… I’m still working out the kinks.”

Levitan was suspicious of his tone. They really didn’t like this. “Well, maybe if you  _ told  _ me, we could-”

“I don’t want you to worry,” he said hastily.

“Alright, alright.” Too late, they were already worried. They fought to keep their anger down, putting on a cool expression. They tried to employ a slightly different strategy. “Don’t be nervous, pint-sized. Tell ya what, why don’t you just tell me  _ where  _ the Monsoon LA is, and we can drive by it tomorrow and scope it out from the outside. Sound alright?”

“I-I’d need to look up the exact address,” he said hesitantly, not meeting their gaze.

Levitan had a sick feeling that replaced the pleasant warmth from before. “Oh, really?”

“Yeah,” he said awkwardly. 

“Where did you live in LA?” they asked.

“I… what?”

“Where did you live?” they asked again. “I know the city sorta well. Haven’t been there since nineteen ninety, but I know the neighborhoods.”

“Oh… well… I… um… It was around…”

That was it. They knew exactly what was wrong, now. Fuck, they felt like such a sucker. How could they be so  _ stupid? _

“Akio. Tell the truth.”

Akio’s shoulders slouched. He hung his head. “I’m sorry, Levitan.”

“About what?” they asked coldly. They knew what. They wanted to make him say it.

“I lied. I lied about working in LA. I’ve never been there in my whole life.”

“Fuck,” they muttered through their teeth. They turned and gripped the railing. Akio made a whimper when he saw the metal bend under their fingers. “I can’t believe this.”

“I’m… I’m so sorry,” he said quietly, his voice cracking. “I had no choice. Y-you were gonna bury me alive. What would  _ you  _ have done?”

“Oh, I would have chewed through my bonds and kicked the shit outta you,” they said sharply. They glared at him. “Why  _ that  _ lie? Why didn’t you offer us money? Why didn’t you make up  _ literally anything else? _ ”

“I couldn’t think of anything else,” he said. “I was terrified. I-I didn’t wanna suffer like that. Buried alive? That’s… terrifying.”

“Yeah, I have a little experience. It’s pretty fuckin’ bad.” Their shoulders were tense. “Fuck.  _ Fuck! _ ” They kicked the balcony railing, then hissed in pain. The little rail was bent from their foot, but they’d cracked their toenail. Nails were terrible, they didn’t heal so easily.

“I’m sorry,” he said again. “I… I was gonna run away.”

“You were?” they asked, turning to him. Well, that explains the unsustainable lie. “Why didn’t you?”

Akio still didn’t look at them. He looked down at their legs. “The… the more I stayed with you to, the less I wanted to leave,” he said in a small voice. “I was too scared to tell you that I lied. I-I didn’t want you to rip out my spine.”

Yeah, a few days ago they might have done that. Things were different, now. How had they changed so fast?

Levitan didn’t really understand it. How had this kid gotten under their skin so fast? It didn’t make any sense. They were  _ hurt  _ that he’d lied to him. They didn’t expect that. They didn’t understand.

Their breathing was shaky. “Alright. Okay. Thrown a wrench into the works.” The folded their hands together. “Speak carefully, Akio. What you say can an’  _ will  _ be held against you, clear?”

He nodded mouth tight shut. He looked nauseous.

It wasn’t warm out, but their palms were sweaty. “You  _ lied  _ to me. I believe that breaks our contract.”

“It was a lie that I made up  _ before  _ we shook,” he said weakly.

Levitan jabbed a finger at him. “Don’t get  _ smart  _ with me. I am  _ very  _ tempted to put you back into that hole.”

Akio looked terrified at that possibility. He trembled, eyes wide. “ _ Oh please god, no! _ ”

“Unless you can prove yourself  _ useful  _ in some way,” they said, drawing themselves up to their full height, making Akio cower below them, “I plan to drag you out into the desert, dig a nice lil’ hole  _ far  _ away from where anyone could find you, an’ bury you in the sand.”

“W-we can still carry out the plan!” he said. “It’s a wrench thrown into the works, but we can still pull it off!”

“Seein’ as neither of us know where Monsoon LA is or what it’s like,” they said slowly. “What do you propose we  _ do? _ ”

Akio thought about it for a minute, a finger resting on his chin. “I… I have a friend. He’s the reason I know about Monsoon LA at all. He worked there. I could… call him?”

“Does he work in New York?”

“Yeah. It’s probably gonna seem a little suspicious that I’m calling him after disappearing. What should I say?”

“That’s  _ your  _ job to figure out, bucko,” said Levitan. “We can stop by a payphone tomorrow.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me, pal. You ain’t outta the rough weather, yet.” Levitan gave him a hurt look. “I  _ trusted  _ you, at least a little. You lied. I can’t rightly believe  _ anythin’  _ you told me, now.”

“Lev…” he said softly. “This was the  _ only  _ thing I’ve lied about. I was… I was wrong to tell it. I wish that I hadn’t. I was just trying to save my own skin.”

“I don’t have any respect for people like that,” they said coldly. “I suppose all that “ _ I wanna redeem myself _ ” stuff was a load o’ shit, too?”

“I’m sorry,” he said again, and that was like a punch to the gut. Levitan was sickened. Why couldn’t he have said  _ anything else? _

Akio caught their hurt look. He took a tiny step closer. “It… it was a lie at the time. I was scared. I was terrified of you, and I was terrified of being buried alive.”

“Both things you  _ oughta  _ be terrified of, ‘specially right now.”

“I know you don’t care what I think,” he said, fidgeting with his hands, “and you have every right to ignore what I wanna say, but…”

“Cut to the chase.”

“I wanna make things right. I really do. Monsoon is a  _ horrible  _ place that’s done horrible things, and things will only get worse if we don’t try and stop it. I don’t care about redeeming myself or anything, it’s just… I don’t wanna hurt you again.”

Levitan raised an eyebrow. “Huh.”

“Yeah,” he said. “Nobody deserves to suffer like you have. If I can… undo some of what’s been done…”

“You can’t,” they said sharply. “That’s not how pain works.”

“Well,” he said, “if I help you do this, maybe I can prevent it from happening to somebody else.”

“Really?” they said flatly. Something else was there, they were just waiting for it to come out. “That’s  _ really  _ the best reason you got?”

Akio sighed. “You know what? I won’t lie. Helping people would be nice, it really would, but I just… if I can make  _ one person  _ a bit happier, I would… Fuck, Levitan, I wanna help  _ you. _ ”

Levitan raised their eyebrows. “Scuse?”

Akio gripped the shirt he was wearing, Levitan’s shirt, with tense fingers. “I don’t care what you wanna do. If you wanna break out all the mutants, if you wanna fuck off to Australia, or if you wanna just go get ice cream, I don’t care! I wanna help you.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want to give this up,” he said, his ears turning red. 

“Give what up?” they asked. They intended to make him spell everything out, no room for lies or misinterpretation.

“This! This life! You guys!” He was still holding onto Levitan’s shirt. “I like being with you. I like being a part of your life. It’s just… I can’t explain it. I know that you think I’m a burden, that I’m useless and annoying, but… I’ve never been so happy. I’ve never felt so  _ alive. _ Please, I don’t care what we do, just as long as you let me do it with you.”

Levitan looked skeptical. “I haven’t made up my mind about you, yet.”

“I… understand,” he said sadly. “I wish I could take back the lie.”

“I know,” they said. Sympathy was in their voice, and Akio realized that Levitan understood him. “You’re not a bad egg, pint-sized. Just… misguided.”

“Misguided?”

“Don’t lie to me again,” they said firmly. “ _ Do not.  _ I understand why you did it. If I were you, I would’a done somethin’ similar, but I wouldn’t o’ been so dumb as to end up  _ liking  _ the people I was with.”

He chuckled a little. Levitan’s expression was softer, and he relaxed just a bit. “I know. I’m an idiot.”

“My point stands,” they said. “ _ Do not lie to me again. _ I can’t have that in my life, not from my friends. I won’t be so kind next time, if you do. There’s plenty o’ sand out there in the desert to dig a nice twink-sized hole.”

“Is it too pathetic to beg for your forgiveness?” he asked.

“Oh, I don’t mind pathetic,” they said. “I’d like it in a nice card, on my desk tomorrow.”

Akio chuckled. Levitan smiled just a little.

“C’mon,” they said. “Let’s catch a little more shut-eye. We have a lotta stuff to do tomorrow, and you’re gonna have somethin’ else to deal with.”

“What?” he asked nervously.

“You’re gonna have to tell  _ Ryan  _ that you lied,” they said, walking back into the hotel room. “Trust me, he’s not  _ nearly  _ as reasonable as I am.”

Akio shut the door behind them and slid back into bed. “I’m sorry, Levitan.”

“Ah, shut it.” They climbed back into their bed. “You’re startin’ to sound like a broken record.”

“Goodnight, Lev.”

“Night, pint-sized.”

They were snoring within a few minutes. It was a comforting sound.

Akio smiled just a bit as he nestled into the blankets. At least he was still worthy of a nickname.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading my original work! It's almost two AM and I'm dying please help me I'm full of regrets
> 
> Shoot me a comment if you liked it! :D


	17. Broken Jaws and Butterflies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryan and Akio fight it out. Akio gets an address and is a bit too chatty over the phone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: blood, violence, Akio being an idiot AGAIN

Akio had a list going in his head of “ _ Skills of the Reeves Family that are Slightly Questionable in Origin _ ”. So far, in Levitan’s column there was “how to use a gun”, “interrogation”, “how to get rid of a dead body”, and “how to perform knife tricks that  _ may or may not  _ be incredibly cool (and kind of sexy) to watch”. In Ryan’s, there was “hacking into an enormous database”, “building computers”, “pickpocketing”, “torture and interrogation”, and now recently “hotwiring a hot rod”.

Ryan had picked a red sports car. Discretion was key.

Somehow, Akio had ended up behind the wheel as they drove out of Las Vegas. It was a hot day, and they put the convertible top down.

“I like this,” said Levitan, kicking their boots up onto the dashboard. “We ought’a travel in style more often.”

“Damn straight,” said Ryan, who was holding his hand up so he could feel the wind rushing above the car. “We’re spoiling ourselves, here.”

Akio glanced over at Levitan. When their eyes met, Levitan quickly looked away.

He still hadn’t been forgiven. He wasn’t sure if he ever would be.

Levitan lit a cigarette, squinting against the sun. They were wearing a tank top, and Akio could see their biceps, and an ugly barbed wire tattoo that was looped around their upper arm. It looked patchy in places, and Akio wondered what having healing abilities meant to a tattoo, particularly if, say, your arm got ripped off.

A question for another time, probably.

“Eyes on the road, pint-sized,” said Levitan. The blew out a cloud of smoke that was quickly whisked away in the wind.

“Right, sorry.” Akio forced himself to look ahead. The freeway was mostly empty at this time of morning. The sun was up, but it was still fairly early.

They had a few hours to kill until they got to Los Angeles.

“Alright, pint-sized.” Levitan dropped their feet from the dash and leaned back into their seat. “Seeing as we have some time to kill and it’s gonna come up sooner or later… I think it’s time you told Ryan.”

“Tell me what?” He leaned forward, so he was between the two of them.

“Uh.” He started to sweat. He disliked that he didn’t have anywhere to run to if Ryan decided to flip his shit about the fact he lied.

Ryan rolled his eyes. “Spit it out, Shitbuscuit.”

He steeled himself. “I… I lied my ass off about knowing anything about the LA Monsoon so you guys wouldn’t bury me alive,” he blurted. “I never worked there. I don’t know where it is, how big it is, or anything. I’m sorry.” He gripped the steering wheel tightly, waiting to face the music.

There was a long, heavy pause. Akio’s palms were slick on the steering wheel.

“Fucker,” muttered Ryan bitterly. He pulled back and slammed his fist into Akio’s shoulder.

“ _ Ow! _ ” he cried, grabbing at his arm. “I’m sorry, okay?!”

“You  _ son of a bitch! _ ” shouted Ryan, slugging his fist into Akio’s arm again. “ _ Pull this car over right now! _ ”

“Ow, ow! Okay!” Akio spun the wheel and pulled the car into a pullout on the side of the highway that overlooked the desert. “What’s th-”

Ryan kicked his door open, climbed out, opened Akio’s door, seized the front of his shirt, and pulled him out of the car.

Levitan didn’t say a word. They sat in the car and continued to smoke, watching the scene unfold.

“You  _ cunt! _ ” Ryan shoved Akio, making him stumble but not quite fall. “You  _ living sack of shit! _ ”

“I’m sorry!” he said, holding out his hands to defend himself.

Ryan swung another punch at him, but Akio pulled back in time to have it whistle past his nose. “ _ I’m gonna beat the shit out of you and make you eat it! _ ”

“Eugh,” said Akio, making a face. “Nasty.”

He didn’t dodge quick enough, that time. Ryan’s fist slammed into his jaw and Akio reeled backwards. Akio realized that he was no match for this kid who’d been living on the streets for five years. He knew that if he wanted to get a punch in, he’d better do it now.

Akio cocked his hand back and swung his fist wildly. Ryan sidestepped easily and brought his elbow down onto Akio’s back.

The air was knocked from Akio’s lungs as he hit the dusty ground. His glasses flew from  his face and landed in the dirt a few feet away. He groaned and tried to get up, only to have Ryan kick his shoulder so he was flat on his back, then bring his sneaker down onto his stomach.

“ _ You liar! _ ” bellowed Ryan, aiming a kick at Akio’s ribs. “Of  _ course  _ you lied! Of course you did! We  _ never- _ ” 

He kicked Akio’s stomach. Akio wrapped his arms protectively around himself.

“- _ catch _ -”

Akio let out a cry as Ryan slammed his foot into his face. There was a sickening crack, and Akio’s jaw was broken. He cried out and put a hand over his face.

“ _ -a break! _ ” Tears were rolling down Ryan’s face. He jabbed a finger at Akio. “I  _ liked  _ you, man! We both did! A-and I gotta wake up to this  _ betrayal?  _ Fuck you!” He reared back to slam his fist into Akio’s nose.

Akio quickly rolled out of the way, Ryan slammed his fist into the dirt. Akio tackled him to the ground, eyes watering in pain over his broken jaw, straddled him, and punched Ryan right in the nose. Blood spurted out from under his fist.

“ _Gah!_ ” Ryan clapped a hand to his face. The blood ran down his chin. “ _You fucker!_ ” He stuck out two fingers and poked Akio in the eyes.

“ _ Nng! _ ” Akio’s jaw didn’t let him form proper words. He pulled back to throw another punch, but a strong hand caught his arm.

“That’s enough.” Levitan grabbed Akio by the collar and pulled him to his feet, then did the same with Ryan.

“ _ I’m not done! _ ” shouted Ryan, throwing himself back at Akio. Levitan gripped his shirt by the front of his shirt and held him in place easily, his feet skidding on the dirt. “ _ I’m gonna fuckin’ rip his ears off! _ ”

Akio looked like he was ready to go at it, too. He balled his fists and held them at the ready.

“Not you, too,” said Levitan, frowning in distaste.

Akio was close enough to see their expression. They looked upset, their brow was pinched together ever so slightly. He cautiously lowered his fists.

“Alright, you two,” said Levitan, releasing Ryan and giving him a little shove. “That’s enough. You’ve got it outta your systems. We don’t got the time or energy to waste on this bullshit.”

Ryan wiped the blood and snot from his face. “But he-”

Akio grabbed his jaw and snapped the bone back into place with a sickening crack. “I didn’t-”

“ _ I said enough, _ ” they growled, startling them both into silence. “Get in the car. I’m driving. Here.” They held out the glasses for Akio.

“Thanks,” he mumbled. He put them on and sighed. There was a tiny chip in the top corner of the lense.

Ryan didn’t look finished. “Lev, why are we keepin’ him ‘round? Why didn’t we just dump his sorry ass out into the desert?”

“Well,” said Levitan, “he said he could pull through, after all. He’s got a few people he can call.”

“Hmm.” He didn’t seem reassured. “Okay. Fine. But I ain’t gonna like it.”

“Good think I ain’t askin’ you to,” said Levitan. “Both o’ you, get in the car.”

“But-” said Ryan.

“ _ Get in the car. _ ”

Akio didn’t look at Ryan as the three of them climbed back into the car. He settled down into the cushy seat and rubbed at his aching ribs.

Ryan started playing his video game, again. He was tapping his thumbs on the buttons with a tad bit more force than necessary.

Nobody said a word as they Levitan drove the car back onto the interstate.  The wind buffeted them as they drove. The radio was still playing quietly.

 

It was early afternoon when they arrived in LA. Akio stood in the phone booth with a handful of quarters. Levitan waited outside with their arms folded, intimidating anybody who walked past. Ryan had gone to get sandwiches.

Akio put a few quarters into the machine, dialled his old work number, and held the receiver to his ear. It was a long distance call, so it was gonna cost a bundle, but hopefully he had enough quarters.

“ _ Hello, this is the reception desk of Monsoon, how may I direct your call? _ ”

“Uh, can you connect me to Mitch Carmichael?”

“ _ Sure thing, just a sec. _ ”

There was a click, then the sound of the phone ringing on the other end.

“ _ Hello? _ ” said the voice on the other end.

“Hey, Mitch,” said Akio, trying hard to sound casual and failing miserably.

There was a clatter. It sounded like Mitch dropped the phone. There was a rustling, then Mitch’s voice was back in his ear, breathing heavily.

“ _ Dude! _ ” he said. “ _ What the fuck? Where the hell are you? _ ”

“Um…” He looked over at Levitan, whose back was facing him. They nodded politely at people who made eye contact with them. “I dunno if I can tell you that.”

“ _ What? Akio, everybody over here has been going nuts wondering what happened to you! I don’t really know all of the details, but there was a big ruckus, some people got  _ shot,  _ Subject Seventeen escaped, and you just up and vanished outta nowhere! Poof! _ ”

“Mitch, this has been the longest, weirdest week of my life.” A little beep in his ear told him he had thirty seconds left. He popped two more quarters into the phone. “Can you answer some stuff for me?”

“ _ Dude, that doesn’t matter! What happened to you? Were you, like, kidnapped or something? _ ”

Akio pinched his brow. There was no way he could explain all of this. “Mitch, listen. This is really important. What’s the address of the place you used to work at?”

“ _ Uh… the library? _ ”

“No, idiot. After that.”

“ _ You mean Monsoon in LA? Uh… five-six-twelve Rochester St. Why? _ ”

Akio grabbed the pen and scribbled the address on the thigh of his jeans. “Doesn’t matter. How heavily staffed is it?”

“ _ Not very. There were, like, twelve guys working there including the receptionist. What’s the- _ ”

“Mitch,  _ it doesn’t matter. _ I can’t explain everything.”

“ _ Wait. Dude, are you in LA? _ ”

“... Yeah.”

“ _ What the fuck?! _ ”

There was another beep. Akio popped two more quarters into the machine. He had about six left. “It’s hard to explain, man. I’ve just had a really rough week.”

“ _ How the fuck did you get to LA? More to the point,  _ why  _ the hell are you there? I heard a rumour you were kidnapped by one of the Subjects, is that true? _ ”

“Kidnapped is such a harsh word,” he said, dancing around the subject.

“ _ Dude, are you okay? How did you get to a phone? I heard that Seventeen is fucking crazy! It beat the shit out of anyone who went near it! _ ”

“Including me,” he said. “But Mitch, what about-”

“ _ Holy shit! Dude, how are you still alive?! What’s happened to you? _ ”

Akio was frustrated. “Fine! I’ll tell you! I was kidnapped, killed, almost buried alive, I made up some  _ lie  _ to save my ass, high-tailed it across the country, I almost got mugged for wearing a sweater vest, I was killed again, I got called out on my lie, and this morning I had the shit kicked out of me by a fifteen-year-old kleptomaniac. Now that  _ that’s  _ out of the way, can you  _ please  _ tell me some more details about the Monsoon we have over here?”

There was a long silence over the phone. The beep sounded in his ear again. He pushed two more quarters into the slot with his thumb.

“ _ Dude, _ ” said Mitch. “ _ What the everloving fuck? _ ”

“It’s true!” he said. “Can you do me a solid and keep this to yourself?”

“ _ What? But people are looking for you! _ ”

“Mitch,” he said. “I can’t go back to Monsoon. If I get caught… I’ll be worse than dead. Do you understand?”

“ _ But- _ ”

“ _ Do you? _ ”

There was a staticky sigh. “ _ Yeah. Okay. I’ll keep my mouth shut. What else do you need to know? _ ”

“What kind of experiments went on there, what’re the hours like, and what’s the security system like?”

“ _ Security… dude, please tell me that you’re not doing what I think you’re doing. _ ”

Akio let out a breath. “Look, man. The less I tell you, the better.”

“...  _ Fine. Okay. I don’t know all the details about the experiments. I only ever worked on plant stuff, and some basic DNA modification on pigs. I wasn’t high-ranking enough. They close up on weekends, at least they did when I worked there, and there aren’t any guards, but they have a fairly sophisticated alarm system that requires keycard access. They give tours, sometimes. _ ”

“Tours?”

“ _ Yeah, school groups and stuff. Sometimes they do stuff on Saturdays. _ ”

There was a beep in Akio’s ear. He popped two more quarters in. “Thanks, man. I really appreciate this.”

“ _ Dude… are you okay? Should I, like, call the cops? _ ”

“No! Don’t call the cops. I’m fine. Trust me.”

“ _ You were kidnapped, my friend. You sure you don’t have some kinda stockholm syndrome going on, there? _ ”

“I don’t have  _ stockholm syndrome _ .”

“ _ Okay, dude. Whatever you say. Are you still with Seventeen? _ ”

“I can’t tell you that.”

“ _ So… yes? _ ”

Akio sighed and leaned his forehead against the machine. “It’s complicated.”

Mitch sounded exasperated. “ _ How can this be complicated? Seventeen kidnapped you! _ ”

He huffed out a laugh. “I don’t expect you to understand. This last week has… been amazing.”

“ _ But you said- _ ”

“Yeah. I feel… I dunno, Mitch. Like I’ve been walking around all my life thinking I had normal eyesight, but I finally got a pair of glasses and everything is so… clear?”

“ _ That’s a corny metaphor. _ ”

“I know, I know.” He lifted his head and looked over at Levitan. God, they looked good. He could see their profile, cast in shadow from the sun. They had a sharp nose, a strong jaw, and fantastic eyes.

“ _ Dude? You still there? _ ”

He paused. His stomach twisted in a funny way when Levitan caught they gaze of somebody walking by on the sidewalk and winked comically.

Oh. Oh boy.

“I think I might have a little bit of a crush,” he said quietly. “Maybe. Just a little.”

There was a beat of silence.

When Mitch finally regained his voice, he spluttered. “ _ Wait, what? Dude, what the fuck? On who? Why? I’m so confused. _ ”

“And you think I’m not?” There was a beep, and he put his last two quarters into the machine. “Shit. I’m out of money. I only have about two minutes left.”

“ _ How did you fall in love in a fucking week? _ ”

“I said I  _ might  _ have a  _ crush,  _ genius.”

“ _ On who? _ ”

Levitan glanced over their shoulder at him and cocked an eyebrow. Akio held up his fingers to indicate two minutes.

They nodded and turned back to keep watch for him.

Akio heaved a sigh. “Doesn’t matter. You wouldn’t like them.”

“ _ It does matter. You’re my friend. Who is it? _ ”

“... Their name is Levitan.” He sorta counted on Mitch not knowing that Subject Seventeen and Levitan were the same person.

He’d guessed wrong.

“ _ What. The. Hell. Holy shit. You’re in love with Seventeen?! What the fuck is wrong with you?! _ ” Mitch sounded horrified. “ _ It’s a killer! A monster! I’ve seen the footage, I saw it tear the eyes right out of the head of one of the people who used to work here! It can’t die! It’s fucking terrifying! What can you possibly see in Seventeen? _ ”

Akio felt anger on behalf of Levitan boil inside his chest. He clenched his fist. “Told you that you wouldn’t get it.”

“ _ Dude. You are actually insane. _ ” Mitch sounded amazed. “ _ How can you… Jesus, out of all the people in the world, you pick Seventeen? Holy jumping shit, dude. _ ”

His hand was shaking a little. “Yeah, yeah.”

“ _ Does Seventeen like you too? _ ”

At this change of tone, Akio forced himself to relax. “I feel like I’m thirteen, again.”

“ _ Still a valid question. _ ”

Akio looked back over at them and traced his gaze over their broad shoulders. “I have no idea how they feel about me. I fucked up pretty bad, and I sorta lost their trust. More to the point, I’m still not sure how I feel about  _ them,  _ so just-”

“ _ Yeah, yeah, sure. In the whole time we’ve worked together, you never once mentioned sleeping with anybody or liking anybody. This is kind of a big deal. I thought you were asexual, dude. _ ”

“You never asked.”

“ _ Yeah, well. _ ”

There was a beep in his ear. “I have thirty seconds left. Thanks for helping me out, Mitch. Take care.”

“ _ I should be the one telling that to you. Oh, and you might wanna get outta there. _ ”

Akio’s stomach turned unpleasantly. “What? Why?”

“...  _ Because all of the calls coming in are monitored. _ ”

Panic gripped Akio’s chest. “ _ What?! _ ”

“ _ Yeah. Lucky for you, I don’t really give a shit about my job and I tend to value my friends more, so I didn’t report you as soon as the call came in. If I can, I’ll delete the audio footage, there could be people listening to this conversation as we speak, possibly even tracing it. You should run. Now. _ ”

“Holy shit. Holy shit. Thanks, Mitch. Could’a mentioned it sooner, maybe?”

“ _ Well, I’m not perf- _ ”

The call cut off. The dial tone rang in his ear.

Akio dropped the phone and opened the door to the booth.

“Hey,” said Levitan, turning to him. “How’d it go?”

“I got an address,” he said, his face feeling hot. “But I blabbed a lot.”

“Yeah, I could sorta hear you,” said Levitan. Their arms were folded. 

Akio just about had a heart attack when he heard that. “What parts did you catch?”

“Something about how you don’t have stockholm syndrome and details that  _ maybe  _ you should shut up about to somebody who works for Monsoon?”

_ Oh thank god,  _ they didn’t hear the end of that conversation. “Uh. Yeah. Sorry. I’m not very good at this.”

“Duh.”

“We should hide. Like, right now.”

“What?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Apparently the call could have been monitored. Maybe traced.”

“ _ Fuck! _ ” Levitan grabbed Akio’s forearm and dragged him away from the phone booth. “C’mon, we gotta get the  _ fuck  _ outta here.”

“Where’s Ryan?”

“Hey, guys!” He jogged up to them with a paper bag in his hand and the duffel bag slung over his shoulder. “What’re you-”

“No time,” said Levitan, grabbing his wrist and yanking him along as they sprinted down the sidewalk. “We’re ditching the car. We gotta find someplace to hide!”

“Hey, I think I know a place!” said Ryan cheerily.

“You what?” asked Levitan, slowing from a run to a jog.

“I know a place we can hide out!” he said. “It’s a hostel. People there are chill. It’s about ten blocks north o’ here!”

The three of them stopped dead when they heard sirens. They were close.

Levitan yanked the two of them off of the sidewalk and into a nearby alleyway and pushed them behind a dumpster.

“Stay outta sight,” they hissed. They slipped to the edge of the alleyway and peeked out into the street, staying in the shadows of the building.

A white and blue van zipped by. Levitan scrambled back.

“ _ Holy shit, _ ” they whispered. “If that phone call had been a minute longer…”

Akio swallowed hard. He got to his feet. “We should go. Right now.”

Levitan nodded. They grabbed Ryan’s hand and pulled him to his feet, then grabbed Akio’s hand to tug him along.

Levitan’s hand was strong, and big enough to practically engulf his. His fingers were sweaty, and he prayed that Levitan didn’t notice or mind.

He tried to ignore the butterflies in his stomach as he ran for his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! I procrastinated. I was at Fan Expo Vancouver.
> 
> Hope you liked this chapter, comment if you did!


	18. The Sparrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levitan finds something important.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: violence and body horror

The hostel was small and scummy. They got a room with three twin beds, but none of them had blankets or sheets. The woman at the front desk gave them a once-over, brow tilted in slight disgust at the dirt that covered them almost head to toe before handing them the room key.

Akio picked at the threads of his jeans and traced the address that he’d scribbled on his thigh. He sat on the bed, leaning against the headboard. His feet ached from running.

“Not a bad place, huh?” Ryan flopped down onto the bed with his gameboy and started playing. He lay on his stomach, with his jacket under his chin.

Akio winced at the sound of a shrieking chord, and looked over at Levitan. They had a harmonica in their hands.

“Look what I found in my pocket!” they said, grinning. “Thought I lost this ol’ thing!”

“Oh, god,” said Ryan with a melodramatic sigh. “Not the harmonica.”

Akio wondered if he should be worried when he saw Levitan cup their hands around it. Half a second later, he raised his eyebrows when a sweet, lilting tune came from the little instrument. Levitan closed their eyes and moved their hands to get a little “wah wah” sound.

Ryan groaned and dropped his head onto the bed. “Oh god, not  _ country music _ .”

“Watch your mouth, son!” said Levitan, wagging a finger at him. “You ain’t ‘bout to disrespect your roots! Not in my house!”

Ryan made a face before going back to playing his game. The little device made an awful shrieking sound. “Ooh. Caught an Onyx.”

“Know any jazz or blues?” asked Akio, crossing his legs at the ankle.

“Mm, some,” said Levitan thoughtfully. “I can’t read music or nothin’, but I can spin a good yarn now and again.”

“Let’s hear it.”

Levitan couldn’t help smiling. They lifted the harmonica to their lips and started to play. It was a simple melody, and even though they missed a few notes here and there, they carried it quite well. It sounded like blues to Akio, with just a little mix of bluegrass. Levitan’s foot bounced against the bed as they played, their eyes were closed, brow furrowed in concentration.

Akio couldn’t help grinning. He tapped his hands on his thighs along with the music. It was infectious. He dearly missed his saxophone.

Levitan opened their eyes, caught his look, and pulled the harmonica away from their mouth. “What’s with the stupid face?”

“Nothing,” he said, feeling self-conscious. “You’re really good.”

“I’ve had this for about… I dunno, thirty years?” They ran their thumb over the dented metal. “It’s seen better days. Sounds a bit outta tune.”

“I really like it.”

Levitan glanced up at him, then looked away. “Thanks,” they said gruffly. Their ears were pink.

“Maybe I should get a sax,” he said, entertaining the idea like he used to entertain the idea of owning a castle, someday. He folded his hands behind his head. “We could jam together.”

“Mm.”

“Pass me a sandwich?”

“Oh, uh, sure.” Levitan pulled one from the paper bag and tossed it over to Akio, who caught it with one hand. “Nice catch.”

“Thanks.” He unwrapped it and took a bite. It was turkey. He wiped his mouth on his wrist and swallowed. “Eugh. I haven’t brushed my teeth in  _ days _ .”

“Bonus of being a mutant like us,” said Levitan, unwrapping their own sandwich. “No cavities. No tooth decay. No infections.”

“Sweet.”

“We can still get bad breath, though.”

“Noted.” Akio took another bite. God, he was hungry. He hadn’t eaten since he had that orange out in the Nevada desert. He swallowed and coughed. “So, um. We have an address. What’s our plan of action?”

“We can’t stay here,” said Levitan. They opened up their sandwich and picked out the raw onions before closing it back up. “We need a place to lie low. It’ll take more than a day to come up with a good plan of action. We’re gonna need somewhere to sit an’ stew and gather supplies.”

“Think there are any mutants in the city?” asked Ryan, not looking up from his game.

“We’re everywhere,” said Levitan, dropped the onion bits into the trash bin. “I wouldn’t be surprised. I have a knack for findin’ ‘em.”

“Like Lassie? Did a mutant fall down a well?”

Levitan flicked a piece of onion across the room. Its aim was true, and it landed square on the back of Ryan’s head.

“What the-” He reached back and pulled it from his hair. His fingers touched the raw onion and he shrieked. “Oh  _ ew!  _ Lev! What the fuck?!”

Akio snorted. He finished off his sandwich and crumpled up the wrapper, tossing it at the trash bin.

Levitan caught it, squeezed it down further, then bounced it off of Akio’s forehead.

Akio snorted. Levitan smiled a little and took another bite from their sandwich.

It was peaceful. Akio wished he had a book. Maybe he could shoplift one from a drugstore. Then he’d have something to do on the long drives and in the evenings when he didn’t fall asleep instantly.

His glasses had a chip on the top and a crack on the bottom. He’d have to replace them, soon. If he could.

Levitan finished their sandwich and relaxed back into the mattress with a satisfied sigh. They’d kicked off their boots and their feet were bare, and they were using their rolled up jacket as a pillow.

“So, um,” started Akio.

Levitan and Ryan both looked over at him.

“Uh,” he said, suddenly feeling nervous. “So… should we be talking plans and stuff?”

“I  _ just  _ sat down,” said Levitan flatly.

Akio sighed. “Never mind.”

“Why don’t  _ you  _ think of something?” they asked. “You said you would.”

“Because I’m an idiot?”

“Good point,” said Ryan, looking back to his video game. “We can’t trust you to tie your damn shoelaces.”

“Yeah,” said Levitan with a sigh. “You don’t know shit about strategy.”

Akio sat up and crossed his legs. “I can  _ help _ ,” he said heatedly.

“With  _ what? _ ” asked Levitan with a frown. “You got us an address. What  _ else  _ can you do?” Akio’s stomach turned and he realized that they were still angry with him.

“Sorry,” he said hastily, looking down at his hands. He glanced back up again cautiously.

Levitan’s expression softened. “That was harsh.” They looked away. “Don’t worry. I’ll think of somethin’.”

“You always do,” said Ryan with an optimistic smile.

Akio saw Levitan’s apprehensive expression. “Yeah,” they said, picking at the dirt under their nails. “Always do.”

“ _ You okay? _ ” he mouthed.

Levitan shot him a glare. “ _ I’m fine, _ ” they mouthed back. They sat up and pulled on their boots. “Outta cigarettes. Gonna go for a smoke.”

Ryan gave a little two finger salute, not looking up from his game.

“Stay safe,” said Akio.

“Yeah, sure.” Levitan pulled on their jacket and left the hostel room, slamming the door shut behind them.

 

It was late afternoon. Levitan walked up the street, fists jammed into their pockets. They glared at anybody who glanced their way and they walked quickly, carving a path through the crowd. They stood at a healthy six-foot-one, and they towered over most people they met. It came in handy, sometimes.

They crossed the street, ignoring the cars that honked their horns at them, and walked into the gas station. They popped the collar of their jacket as they walked in the door.

“Hey,” they said gruffly. “Pack o’ Wildhorse, if you don’t mind.”

The kid behind the register seemed to pale at their appearance. His eyes were wide and scared. Levitan didn’t give a shit. They slid the twenty dollar bill across the counter.

“I’m in a hurry,” they said.

“Oh, uh, right.” The kid pulled out the cigarettes from under the counter, quickly scanned the pack, and said, “Four fifty, please.”

Levitan nudged the twenty a bit closer. “Here.”

“Alrighty, that’ll be fifteen fifty for your change.” The kid handed them the bills and dropped the coins into their palm. “Have a nice day.”

“Too late,” they grumbled, taking the cigarettes.

They shook one from the pack as soon as they stepped out the door, then rummaged in their pockets for their lighter. They turned and took a shortcut down an alleyway.

They quickly found it, then flicked the top open, holding it to the cigarette. They tripped over a crack in the cement and stumbled, burning their hand on the lighter and catching the cigarette on fire.

“ _ Ah!  _ Fuck!” They dropped the cigarette, waved their hand quickly, and put their finger in their mouth before steadying themselves. “Goddammit.” They ground the cigarette out with their heel.

They glanced up, then they did a double take.

On the wall, spray painted above the dumpster, was a symbol. It was a bit bigger than their outstretched hand, and it looked as if it was made from a template. The red paint dribbled down the wall in places.

It was a sparrow, in silhouette. The bird was shown in profile, wings outstretched, beak pointing down the alleyway.

Levitan grinned. They shoved their lighter back in their pocket and sprinted back towards the hostel.

It had been a long, long time since they’d seen that symbol.

 

“Where are we going?” asked Akio, panting as he chased after Levitan. Levitan was only walking briskly, but he had to jog to keep up with them.

“It’s right around here!” they said excitedly.

“What is?” asked Ryan, hoisting the duffel bag up. “I liked that hostel.”

“The  _ sign! _ ” They rounded a corner into an alleyway then stopped, hands on their hips triumphantly. “There it is!”

Akio stopped, peering around Levitan’s shoulder. On the wall, there was a spray painted bird.

“Is that it?” asked Ryan.

Levitan sighed and ruffled his hair. “I’m surprised you didn’t pick it up, Squirt.  _ That’s  _ the sign of the resistance.”

“Oh.  _ Oh! _ ”

“Oh?” asked Akio, feeling uninformed.

“The beak,” said Levitan, walking up to the sign. “It’s pointing to the hideout.”

“Holy crap,” said Ryan, grinning. “No way! What luck!”

“I’m the luckiest person in the world,” said Levitan with a huge grin. “Both good and bad, incidentally. C’mon, keep up!”

Akio and Ryan jogged after them again as they walked quickly down the alley and came to a split, one half went left and the other went right.

“See?” Levitan lifted a concrete brick with their foot. On the bottom was another sparrow, pointing towards the right fork. “We’re close.”

“Goddamn,” said Ryan. “How’d you know where to look?”

“How’d you know what it  _ was? _ ” asked Akio, amazed.

“Well, I  _ invented _ it, back in the day.” They let the brick drop back down. “I’m kinda surprised it stuck around so long. It’s changed a bit, but the sparrow always means freedom.”

Ryan and Akio jogged after Levitan as they followed the sparrow. The alleyway stank of garbage, and the sound of traffic faded away. The buildings loomed above them, tall and imposing.

They hit a dead end with a chain link fence.

“Now, what?” asked Ryan, breathless from running.

“Hmm.” Levitan scratched their head, trying to remember. “Well, let’s see here…” They looked up at the building on the right, squinting far away. “Aha! Up there!” They pointed.

There was a tiny red sparrow painted on the white brick wall, almost ten feet above their heads.

“Up here.” Levitan climbed on top of a dumpster, jumped up, and pulled down the fire escape ladder.

It descended with a rusty clang, and Levitan’s boots made a heavy dent into the dumpster when they landed.

“Jeez,” said Ryan, tossing the duffel bag up onto the dumpster before climbing up.

Akio struggled to get up on top of the dumpster, trying to pull himself up. Levitan grabbed him by the collar of his t-shirt and hoisted him up with one hand.

“ _ Augh! _ ” he shrieked, then he gained his footing. “Thanks.”

“Anytime,” they said, lifting the duffel bag onto their shoulder. “Up you go. Right to the top.”

Akio’s palms were sweaty, but he climbed the ladder after Ryan, then the stairs. They were rusted and wobbly and made a horrible creaking sound as they walked, and they passed by a few dead plants as they climbed. More than one of the windows had tattered curtains.

Akio wasn’t fond of heights. He tried not to look down, instead focussing on the stairs above him. He glanced back at Levitan, surprised to see them grinning. Their eyes were bright and full of anticipation.

They reached the top. Akio looked out over the city, over the gas stations and malls and all the roads, cars, and people… and he felt a little dizzy so he clung to Levitan’s arm.

“Look.” Levitan pointed with the arm Akio was clinging to. There was a tiny window with a teeny little sparrow painted onto the glass. “In you go.”

Ryan climbed into the window. Akio heard some gasps and shrieks from inside, and he  _ really  _ didn’t wanna go in, but Levitan gave him a shove so he climbed in after Ryan.

The room was spacious. There was a couch and a radio, a coffee table covered in books, newspapers, and magazines, and a kitchen table with a few chairs. The walls were covered in posters, news clippings, spray paint, and a bulletin board with notes pinned to it. There were five people seated on the couch and at the table.

Akio tried to take them all in individually.

There was a man at the table with dark skin and dark hair. One of his arms was crude and mechanical, one of his eyes was missing and replaced with a red scope. He sat next to a red-haired woman who seemed normal at first, until Akio saw the extra arms protruding from under her shoulders. Next to the two of them, there was a person wearing a hazmat suit that didn’t let an inch of skin show.

On the couch, there was a teenaged girl with green, scaly skin, sharp teeth, horns, and golden eyes. Next to her sat a boy whose skin seemed slightly damp, and his eyes were slightly too big for his head. His fingers were oddly shaped, and a tail curled next to him on the couch.

All of them were staring at the two of them.

“Uh,” said Akio. “Hi.”

Immediately, the table was flipped to act as a shield and the two on the couch dove behind it. Five weapons were levelled with them, three pistols, a robotic arm that could do who knows what, and a harpoon.

Akio and Ryan held their hands up in surrender.

“Whoa, take it easy, guys!” said Ryan, trying to keep the note of panic out of his voice. “We’re on your side. I’m Ryan Reeves, this is Akio Sato!”

“Reeves?” came a soft voice. The redhead peered up over the edge of the table. “Does that mean-”

“Nnf, fuckin’ tiny window,” muttered Levitan as they finally climbed in. Their boots hit the ground with a thud that stunned the room into silence, and they dropped their duffel bag to the floor.

“Holy shit,” said the redhead with quiet reverence. Her green eyes were wide with surprise. “Y-you’re  _ Levitan Reeves _ .”

“One and only,” they said with their most charming grin. “Nice lil’ establishment y’all got here.”

The room sprang into action again. The girl with four arms sprang over the table, followed by the cyborg. The person in the hazmat suit clumsily moved closer, the girl with scales stood, still holding her harpoon. The boy zipped across the room on all fours, his enormous eyes wide and a grin on his face.

“Ho-lee shit!” said the redhead. “Levitan Reeves, you sonovagun!” She slugged their shoulder with her two right hands.

“Yep,” they said with a chuckle. “It’s me.”

“Where were you?” asked the person in the hazmat suit. When they spoke, it was revealed that the voice was feminine. Through the visor, Levitan could see that their skin was silver. “We thought you were captured.”

“I was,” they said. “But I’m back, now.”

“And before that?” asked the cyborg in a growl. “You just up and vanished!”

“I had a son to take care of, what can I say?”

The boy, who Levitan pegged as a gecko of some kind, clicked his tongue excitedly. Levitan’s morse code was a little rusty, but he seemed to be asking if they were  _ really  _ Levitan Reeves.

“I am,” they said to him. “And this is my son Ryan, and my friend Akio.”

“Hi,” he said weakly. He was trying to stop his knees from shaking. This was all so overwhelming. He felt like he was going to pass out.

“You could’a  _ told  _ me you were famous,” grumbled Ryan, folding his arms. “I would’a liked that when I was a kid.”

The redhead eyed Akio warily. “What’s his deal?” she asked, jabbing a thumb at him. “He looks normal.”

The lizard girl gripped the harpoon tightly, taking a tentative step closer.

“Well,” said Levitan. “It’s a bit of a long story.”

“We got time,” said the redhead. “So, Mr. Sato. How come you’re here?”

“Um, it’s  _ Doctor  _ Sato, actually,” he said.

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he regretted it. All eyes in the room snapped to him. Ryan gave him a “ _ what the fuck, dude? _ ” look, the five mutants looked at him with fear, and Levitan’s glare made him want to curl up into a little ball and disappear.

“Doctor?” said the redhead, reaching for the pistol on her hip.

“I-I met Levitan at Monsoon,” he said, trying to explain himself. “I-I was working there as a scientist, and-”

“ _ Scientist? _ ” chorused the voices in the room in terror. The mutants scrambled back from him, the gecko boy shrieking in terror, the cyborg and the redhead cursing, and the person in the hazmat suit whimpering in fear.

The lizard girl pulled the trigger on her harpoon gun. The harpoon shot forward, right through Akio’s chest.

“ _ Akio! _ ” Levitan caught him before his knees buckled.

Akio groaned in pain. “Fucking hell, not again…”

He saw the fear in Levitan’s eyes as it faded to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Shoot me a comment if you liked it! :D


	19. Spaghetti Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They settle in to the mutant's base. Levitan reconnects with an old friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: violence and gore.

Akio’s blood stained Levitan’s hands as they held him. His head lolled back. He didn’t move. He didn’t breathe.

For just a moment, they panicked. Their breath was shaky in their chest. Their mouth felt parched.

“Uh,” said Ryan. “What’s with the dumb look on your face?”

Oh. Right.

Levitan dropped him gracelessly to the ground and wiped their palms on their cargo pants, leaving brown smears down their thighs. “Nothing.” They turned to the lizard girl who had fired the harpoon gun at him and pointed a finger warningly. “You could hurt someone with that thing. Put it away.”

Akio’s blood pooled on the wooden floor. Levitan’s stomach twisted unpleasantly and they quickly looked away.

The redhead stepped closer, all four hands balled into fists. “He works for  _ them!  _ Why did you bring him here! If it wasn’t for Dana, he could have gotten away and told them where we’re hiding!”

“If you’d bothered to  _ listen  _ for half a minute,” said Levitan with a terse note in their voice, “I could’a told you that he’s one of us.”

“ _ What? _ ” said the cyborg. “But he’s-”

“He didn’t know,” said Levitan evenly. “He didn’t know he was one of us until I did much the same thing you did and shot him dead. He woke up.”

“He  _ what? _ ” said the redhead, eyes wide. “Holy shit. That’s so rare. Isn’t that like-”

“I know. He’s like me.”

“But… how…” she started.

“Haven’t a damn clue,” said Levitan. “It’s a real head scratcher how he ended up all the ways in  _ Japan. _ ”

“ _ Japan?! _ ”

“That’s where he said he was from.”

The redhead whistled, impressed. “Goddamn. Looks like we got another piece to this whacko puzzle.”

“Yeah. No kidding.”

Levitan’s head whipped around at the sound of a gasping groan. They dropped to the floor next to Akio.

“Hey,” they said in a low voice. “You okay?”

Akio lifted his head. He was on his side, and when he tried to roll over onto his back, something stopped him. He looked down. “There’s a harpoon in my chest. So… sorta?”

It had stopped about halfway through his body. The tip of it protruded through his back a few inches, and the end was still visible, just to the right of his sternum.

Levitan grimaced. “... Yeah. And it’s barbed, so it ain’t comin’ out the way it went in. Hang on.” They flicked out their knife and severed the wire that connected the harpoon spear to the gun, took Akio’s hand, and helped him sit up.

“This is gonna hurt,” they warned, putting their boot on his back, on his right shoulder.

“I didn’t think it was gonna tickle,” he said sourly.

“Ready? Count o’ three.”

“Okay.”

“One.” They yanked, and pulled the harpoon the rest of the way through his chest. He cried out and doubled over in pain, blood oozing between his fingers as he pressed his hand over the bloody wound.

“You suck,” he mumbled. He coughed, and blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.

“Sorry,” they said, tossing the harpoon aside. “You okay?”

“I was just  _ harpooned  _ by  _ her! _ ” he said, pointing a finger at Dana.

Dana rolled her golden eyes and raked her blunt claws through her shoulder-length hair. “Don’t get your panties in a twist. You didn’t die.”

“And if you  _ had  _ died,” said the cyborg. “You would’a deserved it.”

“Thanks,” he wheezed.

“Well,” said the redhead, clapping their four hands together. “Since everybody is mostly alive and accounted for, except James ‘cause he’s still at work, I s’pose we oughta introduce ourselves. I’m Naomi Hunter, I’m in charge of this place, and I’m  _ kind of  _ a big deal.” They buffed the nails of one of their hands on her green top.

“Hey,” said Levitan.

“Hi,” said Ryan.

Akio made another wheezing groan as his ribs knit themselves back together. “ _ Ugh, please sweet merciful god, just kill me! _ ”

“Already tried,” said the lizard girl. “I’m Dana. This is Tanner. He doesn’t speak English, I hope you know morse code.”

“Alright,” said Levitan with a nod. “I do, but I’m a bit rusty. Who’s next?”

“I’m Thomas Hawke,” said the cyborg. He reached out with his mechanical hand and set the table upright. The machinery clicked and whirred as the parts slid together.

Levitan gave him a single nod. “Pleasure.”

“I’m Olivia,” said the woman in the hazmat suit. Her voice was muffled by her suit.

“Hello,” said Levitan.

Akio pulled his shirt up to examine his stab wound.

“ _ Ew, _ ” he said. “I can see  _ my muscles moving. _ ”

“Shuddup, you big baby,” said Levitan, nudging him with his foot. “You’ll be fine.”

“That’s not what you said two minutes ago,” said Ryan, who appeared to be inspecting his fingernails. “But, y’know, that’s none of my business.”

“What?” asked Akio, looking up at Levitan with surprise.

“You’re wearing my shirt,” they said tersely. “And you ruined it with your blood. Fucker.”

“There are  _ children  _ present,” said Akio in a slightly mocking tone. He hauled himself to his feet, then doubled over, hands on his knees. “ _ Ugh.  _ I feel like I’m gonna throw up my organs.”

“So,” said Levitan, turning back to Naomi. “What  _ I’m  _ dyin’ to know is how y’all ended up here.”

“Kinda complicated,” said Naomi, making a face. “Hawke and I escaped custody when we were being transported more than a few years back, and we took James with us. We found the kids by accident in a back alley after they escaped the LA facility on their own, and Oliva was… well, she was on her way to  _ disposal _ , and we managed to get her out of it. We just ended up here, trying to finish your work.”

“You’ve been gone,” said Hawke firmly. “Where?”

“I had a son,” said Levitan. “I couldn’t jeopardize him like that.”

Thomas set his jaw and didn’t say a word. He sat down at the table.

“We needed you,” said Oliva softly. “So many of us have died. So many of us have been disposed of.”

“You think I don’t know that?” snapped Levitan. “For  _ five goddamn years _ I was back in that hell of a facility!”

“I was in there for  _ twenty, _ ” said Oliva, her voice icy. They poked at their suit. “I can’t take this off unless I’m in the containment unit, otherwise my radiation will make everybody here sick.”

Levitan heaved an apologetic sigh. “I apologize. It’s not a competition. We’ve all suffered in different ways, and if we fight amongst ourselves we’re just gonna add to the damage.”

“I was gonna start dinner in a few minutes,” said Naomi. “Is everyone okay with pasta?”

There were some nods and murmurs among the group. Tanner clicked his tongue agreeably.

“I could eat,” said Ryan. 

Levitan flicked his ear. “Don’t be a pig.”

“I’m a growing boy,” he said, his eyes wide and innocent. “Look how skinny I am!” He lifted his shirt and sucked in his stomach comically.

Dana snorted and picked at her claws. “Looks about as skinny as a sumo wrestler to me.”

Ryan stopped, startled by the comment. He smirked. “Well, doesn’t that mean I  _ should  _ eat more so I can beat those dickheads in the ring?” He took on a wrestling stance, stooping his legs low and holding his hands out in front of them. “I could take ‘em on!”

Dana laughed. Tanner made a funny squeaking giggle and opened his wide mouth to lick his tongue over his bulging eye.

“Cool,” said Ryan with a huge grin. “Wish  _ I  _ could lick my eye.”

“I have some stuff I want to discuss with you,” said Naomi to Levitan. “Mind joining me in the kitchen?”

They shook their head. “Not at all. Akio, come. Ryan, stay.”

Akio didn’t even bother to protest.

“Cool, I didn’t wanna go, anyway.” He flopped down onto the couch and pulled out his gameboy.

Dana’s head whipped around at the sound of a little mechanical screech. “Is that  _ Pokemon? _ ”

“Yep,” said Ryan, tapping his thumbs on the keys.

Dana and Tanner sat on either side of him on the couch.

“Can I have a turn?” asked Dana.

“After I get one,” said Ryan, making his little character walk into the next room.

Satisfied that he’d settled in, Levitan followed Naomi into the kitchen, dragging Akio behind them by the wrist.

Naomi gave him a look of distaste as they walked into the kitchen. “Did you  _ have  _ to bring your scientist lackey?”

“Hey,” said Levitan, “he has  _ connections,  _ at least _.  _ He got us the address of the LA Monsoon.”

“ _ Whoa. _ ” Naomi’s eyes practically bugged out of her head. “That’s pretty good. They’re not on any maps or anything over here, it’s been impossible to track ‘em down.”

“Well,” said Levitan, plopping down at the kitchen table. “We might be able to help y’all out.”

“With what?” asked Naomi. She pulled out a large pot from the bottom cupboard and filled it with water with two hands while the other two pulled a box of spaghetti down and measured out enough for nine people. “You don’t even know what our mission statement is.”

This took Levitan aback slightly. They’d just assumed that their goal was the same as theirs; to free the mutants. “Uh… what is it, then?”

“We just help mutants who’ve escaped.” She heaved the pot of water onto the stove and dropped the noodles in before pulling some mushrooms out of the sparsely filled fridge. “That’s it. No elaborate breakouts, nothing like that. We tried one, once.”

Levitan and Akio waited for Naomi to finish her sentence. She chopped up mushrooms, her back facing them.

“And?” asked Akio quietly.

“ _ And  _ we failed. Miserably. Lost four people. One was recaptured, the other three were killed. Couldn’t save anybody. Didn’t even make a difference.” She poured olive oil into a saucepan, tossed the mushrooms in, and dropped it onto the stovetop. “Hawke and I were the only ones who got away, and we barely escaped, at that. We decided not to repeat that stunt. Not again,  _ especially  _ not since we got the kids ‘round.”

“I see,” said Levitan seriously. “Well, the three of us are interested in breaking out the mutants that are in the LA facility.”

“Before you ask for help, I’m gonna say that I can’t endanger my family like that.” She added salt to the pot. She turned around and leaned against the counter, folding all four of her arms. “I’m sorry. I just can’t.”

“I ain’t asking you to put your family in danger,” said Levitan in their most reasonable tone. They leaned back into their chair and crossed their legs at the ankle, hands folded over their stomach. “ _ We’re  _ the ones who are planning on going in.”

Naomi raised her eyebrows. “Oh?”

“I hadn’t planned on comin’ across y’all,” they said. “Any and all assistance you’re willin’ to provide would be more than helpful, but I ain’t ‘bout to demand any o’ it.”

Naomi pursed her lips. She was wearing cheap red lipstick. “Okay. I’m pretty good at doing disguises. I  _ might  _ be willing to help you guys, but I have a few conditions.”

“Name ‘em,” said Levitan, sitting up properly and leaning forward.

“Leave the kids out of it,” said Naomi firmly. “Leave Dana and Tanner  _ alone. _ ”

“I wasn’t plannin’ on bringing ‘em into it. Go on.”

“Don’t try and recruit any of us in your hairbrained scheme,” said Naomi. “Hawke and James might volunteer, and if you play your cards right you might get Olivia on your side.”

“What about you?”

“That depends.”

“On what?”

“On whether you’re gonna get up off your ass and help me slice carrots.” Naomi looked at them over their shoulder with a wry smile.

Levitan snorted. They looked at Akio and flicked their finger at Naomi. “Go help.”

Akio huffed a sigh, but he got to his feet nevertheless. “Why am  _ I  _ always your servant?”

“I make Ryan do stuff for me, too.” They got up from the table and went to lean against the counter. They took out their knife, picked up a carrot, and started to peel it. “Alright, pint-sized. I peel, you chop.”

“I’m actually-”

“If the next words outta your mouth are “ _ really bad at cooking _ ” I swear to God.”

Akio scowled and adjusted his glasses. “Wow, rude. I’m actually really  _ good  _ at cooking. Why do you assume I suck at  _ everything? _

“You haven’t really proven otherwise. Let’s see these so-called cooking skills.”

Akio grumbled to himself as he took a peeled carrot from Levitan and began to slice it. His motions were quick, and the slices were thin as paper. Levitan pretended not to see it. Acting impressed would go straight to his head.

Naomi snorted. “How long have you two been a thing?”

“Excuse me?” asked Levitan, raising an eyebrow.

“You bicker like a married couple,” said Naomi. “So? How long have you two been knocking boots?”

Akio yelped when he almost cut the tip of his finger off. He popped his finger into his mouth and used the knife to scrape the chopped carrot aside. “We’re  _ not, _ ” he said around his finger, his face red.

“Oh?” Naomi said with a lilt of disbelief in her voice.

Levitan shot her a slight warning look before going back to peeling carrots.

Naomi didn’t care. She hummed as she dropped the carrots in the saucepan with the mushrooms. She never could help gossiping.

 

Akio helped Naomi heave the pot of spaghetti onto the table.

“Not bad,” said Naomi appraisingly as she pulled a stack of plates from the cupboard. “You’ve redeemed yourself a little bit, Dr. Dumbass. Anyone who can make a good pot of spaghetti and can hold up a half-decent conversation is alright, in my eyes.”

“Maybe you should discriminate a little more carefully,” said Levitan. They’d been at the table for ten minutes, watching the two of them work.

“You could help,” said Akio.

“I peeled carrots,” they said defensively. “I ain’t an  _ imbecile. _ ”

“Dinner!” called Naomi into the living room.

Three pairs of feet stampeded into the kitchen. Ryan, Dana, and Tanner quickly loaded their plates, all talking and clicking animatedly to each other, then grabbed their forks and headed back out into the living room to keep playing Pokemon. After they left, Olivia crept into the room, took a plate of food, and slipped away into a different room to eat.

“The kids sure are energetic,” said Hawke as he lumbered into the room. Levitan looked at him with open curiosity as he shifted his mechanical hand into a clamp that could hold onto the plate. It was an intricate device that whirred together smoothly until-

“Aw,  _ shit! _ ” The claw clamped down too hard and the plate shattered in his grip. “Uh, Naomi?”

“I got it. Seems like pressure sensitivity is off, again.” Naomi opened up a kitchen drawer, took out a screwdriver, and took his arm in two of her hands. “Let me look.”

Levitan piled some pasta onto their plate, watching as Naomi popped open a panel on Hawke’s arm with the screwdriver, tightened a few screws, pushed a wire in place, and screwed the plate shut again. “Try that.” She held out her hand.

Hawke tentatively reached out with his claw and took Naomi’s hand. He looked relieved when he didn’t crush her fingers.

“See?” said Naomi, handing him another plate. “No worries.”

“I hate that you test the pressure sensitivity on your own hand,” muttered Hawke as Naomi loaded up his plate for him.

“Yeah, well, I got a few to spare.” She chuckled and grabbed a broom from the corner to sweep up.

Akio sat down with a plate of spaghetti and started to dig in. “Oh my god,  _ real food. _ ”

“Sandwiches are real food,” said Levitan.

“Gas station sandwiches?” he said distastefully. “Um, no. They make me sad and remind me of all the evil in the world.”

“Psh. Baby.”

The front door slammed. “I’m home!” called a voice. “Ooh, something smells  _ good. _ ”

Levitan abruptly sat upright at the sound of the voice, eyes wide with surprise. Their jaw dropped when the person walked into the room.

“Hey, James,” said Naomi.

“Hey.” James was wearing sunglasses and carrying a cane. He looked a little bit older, maybe in his forties, with greying hair and deep-set lines on his face.

“ _ James Emile? _ ” said Levitan, surprised.

James almost dropped his cane, turning his head to peg the source of the voice. “Is that…?”

“It’s me!” they said, jumping to their feet. “Holy shit, James! I thought you were dead!”

“I heard  _ you  _ were captured!” he said, tossing his sunglasses onto the table to reveal staring, sightless eyes. He quickly loosened his tie and pulled it over his head before unbuttoning his shirt.

“Um,” said Akio, his mouth full of spaghetti, until he saw the strangely shaped eyes that splattered James’s chest.

James shrugged out of his jacket and shirt so he was in a tank top. He must have had almost twenty eyes on his chest and shoulders, all different sizes, shapes, and colours, patterned over his flesh like a complex series of tattoos. They blinked and squinted, all pointing at Levitan.

“I  _ was  _ captured!” said Levitan. “Ryan just broke me out.”

James clapped a hand to his forehead and laughed. “I always knew that kid would end up being as crazy as you!”

“What’ve you been  _ up  _ to, you sonovagun?” They asked, punching him in the shoulder.

“ _ Ow! _ Still hurts.” He clutched his shoulder. “This and that. Nothing dramatic, just trying to keep us afloat.”

“How ‘bout a hug?” they asked, holding out their arms.

James grinned and stepped into it. “Careful of my eyes!” he reminded them as they pulled him into a crushing hug that lifted his feet from the floor. “ _ Ow!  _ I said careful!”

“You  _ know  _ each other?” asked Akio, surprised.

“Hell yeah!” Levitan pulled away and clapped a hand to James’s shoulder. “This hellraiser helped me pull some pretty fancy stunts back in the day. Helped a lotta good people.”

“I helped  _ you,  _ too,” he said, elbowing them in the ribs. “God, you didn’t even know how to  _ hold  _ Ryan when he was a baby.”

Akio tried to picture Levitan as a parent just starting out, trying to figure out which end is up. It was a slightly amusing picture, albeit a bit sad. He could not picture Levitan doing well with kids,  _ especially  _ not babies.

Naomi, Levitan, and James sat down at the table with their food. The pot was almost empty.

“Who’s this?” asked James, pointing at Akio.

“I’m Akio Sato,” he said, even though he wanted to include his title. Introducing himself as a doctor had not ended well, last time.

“... and?” asked James, his eyes swivelling in irritation.

“... I’m a mutant,” he said carefully, “who can heal. I used to work for Monsoon before Levitan here kidnapped me and tried to murder me.”

“Keyword being tried,” added Levitan. “He came back. Like a cockroach.”

“You also tried to bury me alive, dragged my sorry ass across this horrible country, killed me twice not including getting harpooned just now, and you destroyed my self esteem.”

“Boo-hoo,” said Levitan. They twirled their fork around the spaghetti and took a bite. They swallowed. “In any case, now we’re here, he’s on our side, and we’re gonna plan a break-out.”

“I got the location of the LA Monsoon,” said Akio, trying to seem helpful. “We want to help.”

James hissed through his teeth. His eyes all seemed all pointed in different directions, not looking at any of them. “That seems awfully risky.”

“So’s everythin’ else we’ve done in this past week,” said Levitan. “Or everythin’ in my life before that.”

“Right, right.” James sighed and poked at his food. “I’m guessing you want help.”

“I won’t demand a thing,” said Levitan. “Not even a place to stay. If you want us to leave, we’ll-”

“No,” said James firmly. “That’s not how we work, and you know it. You’re always welcome under my roof.”

Naomi looked a little skeptical. Two of her hands drummed their fingers on the table, one held up her chin, and the other twirled the fork in the noodles.

“What do you want?”

“Well,” said Levitan. “We’re gonna sneak in, scope the place out. They give tours to college students and such. Once we have a lay o’ the land, we’re gonna do what we can to get the mutants out of there. We don’t know much about the place, hence the tour.”

“Just like old times,” said James with a slight nostalgic tone. “If you need an extra pair of hands and two dozen eyes, I’d gladly help out.”

Naomi looked alarmed by this possibility. “James, but-”

He held up a hand. “I’ve sworn my life to this resistance. If there’s an opportunity to help, I will. That’s final.”

Naomi slumped into her seat. Akio couldn’t help thinking that she looked like a pouting child, all four of her arms folded tightly together. A pouting mutant child.

“They give tours?” said James, scratching his chin. “Well, I propose that we go in. We’ll have to be in disguise, particularly since they’ll be looking for you.”

“Right,” said Levitan. “Akio, too. If somebody he knows happened to bump into him, we’d be done for.”

“Right, right,” said James. “Well, Naomi and I are pretty good at hiding mutations. We could dress you guys up, be real convincing.”

“Sounds good,” said Levitan. Akio saw the light in their eyes as they started to eat their spaghetti again. They wiped their mouth on their wrist. “Akio and I are going on. Ryan’s gonna want to, I’m gonna try and talk him out of it, and he’s gonna refuse to listen, so I’m just gonna cut to the chase and let him come. Wait, hang on.” They cupped their hand around their mouth. “ _ Ryan! _ ”

“ _ Coming! _ ” There were fast footsteps as he bolted into the kitchen. “What’s up?”

“Do you remember James?” asked Levitan. “He helped look after you when you were a lil’ kid.”

Ryan looked James over for a moment, counting the eyes on his chest and shoulders. “Sorry,” he said with a shrug. “I don’t remember.”

“Well, I remember you!” James got to his feet and put his hand on Ryan’s shoulder. “Jesus, you’ve gotten tall! You’re gonna be as tall as Lev.”

“I bet!” he said, unable to keep the grin off of his face.

“Do you want to sit down with us?” asked James. “We’re talking about the plan.”

Ryan glanced back into the living room when he heard his gameboy make a noise and some excited cheering from Dana and Tanner. “Um.”

Levitan smiled and gestured with a flick of their fork. “Go play.”

Ryan looked relieved. He grinned. “Okay! Fill me in, later.” He dashed back into the living room and threw himself over the back of the couch.

Levitan couldn’t keep the smile off of their face as they took another bite of spaghetti. “He deserves to be a kid, now and again.”

“Fair enough,” said James. “So, here’s what I’m thinking. Ryan and I can go as a pair, and you and… uh, what’s your name?”

“I’m Akio,” he said. He popped a mushroom into his mouth.

“Right, Akio. Well, you and Akio can go together. Two pairs, we can cover twice the ground and stay together.”

“Yes, good,” said Levitan pointing a fork at him. “What do you have in mind as a disguise?” 

“I can dye Ryan’s hair red, so we match,” said James. “He can be my son for the day.”

“Ooh, he’s not gonna like that,” said Levitan, “but he can deal with it.”

“And you two would make a good married couple,” he said, pointing to Levitan and Akio.

Levitan gave him a flat look. “Ha. Ha.”

Naomi snickered. “I  _ just  _ asked them if they were together.”

“Why do you  _ always  _ ask people that?” he asked, exasperated. “It’s none of your business!”

Naomi pushed her empty plate away with a four-shouldered shrug, pulled a lollipop from the pocket of her jeans, unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth.

“In any case,” said James. “Lev, I think I’ve got some clothes that are too big for me that you can use. Naomi, you’re about the same height as Akio, you’ve probably got something that can fit him.”

“Wait, what?” asked Akio, a note of panic in his voice.

Naomi gave him a sly look. “Afraid of a little crossdressing, hotshot?”

Akio flushed under his collar. “You’re kidding. Why can’t  _ I  _ be the husband?”

“Nobody would buy it,” said Levitan before James could reply. “My shoulders are broader than yours, I’m taller, and  _ I  _ don’t have a  _ manicure. _ ”

Akio quickly hid his hands under the table. “It’s not a manicure! I just like to file my nails nice so I don’t bite them!”

“Manicure.”

Naomi snorted. “Don’t worry, hon, I’ll make you look like the prettiest lady you ever saw. Looking at your skin tone, I know the  _ exact  _ lipstick and eye shadow combo that would knock anybody’s socks off.”

Slowly, Akio sank down into his seat.

“We’ll scope the place from the outside, tomorrow,” said James. “The day after, we can investigate the inside. Sound good?”

“Perfect,” said Levitan. They stood, taking their plate with them. They put it in the sink. “So, you’ve  _ got  _ to fill me in on the last ten years. I’ve been in the slammer for five of ‘em. Has anything interesting happened to this country, yet?”

“Nothing that isn’t upsetting and destructive,” he said, leaning back into his chair.

Naomi quickly gathered up the plates and the pot with her extra arms. Akio was secretly fascinated with how her arms moved. It was hypnotizing. He quickly stood to help her wash up the dishes.

“Hey,” said Naomi under her breath. “Just because Levitan trusts you doesn’t mean I do.”

“I understand.” He picked up a cloth to dry a plate with. “Where does this go?”

“Far cupboard on the right.”

Akio quickly complied. Levitan and James both burst out in laughter behind them at some in-joke. 

“You were one of  _ them, _ ” she hissed. “You’re gonna have to do a goddamn miracle for me to trust you with more than my pinky finger.”

“Yeah,” he said, taking another plate and drying it. “I realize that. Just… I don’t know if this will help or not, but I… I’m a different man, now. I really care about Levitan and Ryan. I care about the cause. I want to help.”

“Cool,” she said, handing him a fistful of forks to dry. “Walk your talk, then I’ll be impressed.”

He nodded and took the forks. At least he was being given a chance. He scratched at his chest through the hole in his shirt.

It  _ was  _ his shirt. It wasn’t Levitan’s. He was pretty sure of that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yoooo thanks for reading! Comments are much appreciated!
> 
> Ooh, and I'm thrilled to announce that with this chapter, I've reached the Nanowrimo 50K! Woohoo! Seems like I've got a bit more of this story to tell, though, haha!


	20. Silence and Laughter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akio and Levitan have a conversation before bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings for this chapter except FEELINGS.

“There.” It was late at night, and James was helping them set up the bed, which was a mattress on the floor with a slightly dirty sheet on it, plus two pillows and a thick, fluffy quilt. They were in a tiny room, which when Levitan investigated the walls, they realized was a walk-in closet. “Sorry we don’t have more than one.”

“Where’s Akio sleeping?” asked Levitan. “Ryan and I can share this.”

“He’s talking to Dana,” said James. “Said he’d sleep on the couch.”

“... Oh. I guess I’ll go get Akio, then.”

James’s eyes all locked unblinkingly onto Levitan. Lev stiffened under this scrutiny.

“What?” they asked, defensive.

James held up his hands peacefully. “Hey, I didn’t say anything.”

“All of your eyes are on me,” they said, putting their duffel bag down on the floor and kneeling to fish out sleeping clothes. “You only do that when you think I’m lyin’ ‘bout something.”

“Well? Are you?”

“I didn’t  _ tell  _ no lie!” they snapped.

“Shh. Keep your voice down. People are sleeping.”

“Right, right, sorry.” They stood, clothes folded over their arm. “I was just… sorta  _ surprised  _ I’d have to share with him is all.”

“Surprised and pleased, or surprised and disappointed?”

Levitan glared at him, but didn’t reply. Try as they might, they couldn’t find the words to articulate their feelings.

James poked his tongue into his cheek and looked away, trying to seem innocent. “I’m not going to point fingers, but you seem very  _ fond  _ of your friend.”

Oh, no. They were  _ not  _ going down this road. “Duh. We’re  _ friends. _ ”

“You never agreed to be  _ my  _ fake husband. If  _ Naomi  _ thought you were going out, then-”

“Okay, it’s late,” said Levitan, putting a hand on his shoulder and ushering him out of the room. “Stop pestering me. Be a pal and go get Akio, won’t you?”

James couldn’t keep the stupid grin off of his face as he headed out the door. “Okay, I will. Use protection.”

Levitan swatted him with their t-shirt. James laughed as he left the room.

They closed the door and leaned their forehead against it. “Goddamn.”

It was chilly. There was no heat in the apartment. They changed quickly into boxer shorts and a loose t-shirt before crawling under the covers. There was a tiny lamp that sat by the head of the mattress that cast a soft orange glow over the room. They punched their pillow into the right shape before settling down into the blankets.

There was a gentle tap at the door.

“Mm, c’mon in.”

Akio came in and quickly shut the door behind him. He was shivering, and his hair was wet. “Hey.”

“Hey. How was your shower?”

“F-fucking freezing towards the end! Y-you and Ryan used up all the hot water!” He dumped his clothes onto the duffel bag and quickly climbed under the quilt. “Move over, I’m c-c-cold!”

Levitan snorted and budged over a bit. They let out a small squeak when Akio put his cold feet against their leg. “ _ Ack! _ Your feet are like ice!”

“ _ Oh my god,  _ you’re like a furnace. I’m gonna sap your body heat like a parasite.” He wrapped his arms around their torso. “ _ Mm.  _ Toasty warm.”

Levitan let out a shriek. “ _ Jesus fucking Christ, take your hands off of my stomach! _ ” They elbowed him in the ribs, and he pulled his hands back, laughing.

“That was hilarious,” he said, flopping onto his back. He felt a little bit warmer, but let himself stay close to Levitan, anyway. He grabbed his book from the bundle of clothes he’d dropped and flipped open to a page in the middle.

Levitan noticed where he was at in the book and whistled, impressed. “Jesus, you read all that in the last few hours?”

Akio smiled. His heart pounded in his recently-healed chest. He pushed his glasses up onto his forehead. “Yeah. I love  _ The Silence of the Lambs. _ ”

“Mm, I saw the movie. Jodie Foster is a gift from god.”

“Oh, do you want the paper?” Akio sat up and retrieved it from the pile on the duffel bag. “I grabbed it from the coffee table.”

Levitan was touched, but they hid their smile under a gruff nod. They propped themself up with their pillow, leaning against the wall. “Yeah, sure. Thanks.” They accepted it, and held it up to read.

Their eyes had never been the best, especially for reading things up close. They turned the paper to the comics page since the font was the biggest, and held the paper at arm’s length. They squinted a little, and they could make out the letters well enough to understand what was happening.

Akio read his book, leaning against the wall next to them. Their shoulders were touching.

It was nice. Comfortable, even though it was chilly. Levitan didn’t get moments of peace very often, but they seemed to be stumbling upon them more and more often with Akio. In fact, it seemed like more and more often, lately, it ended up just being… them and Akio. Alone together.

Weird.

“Why are you holding the paper like that?” he asked, noticing Levitan’s awkward grip on the paper.

“No reason,” they said hastily, folding it up and dropping it on the floor next to the mattress.

Akio quickly put the pieces together. Understanding dawned on his face, and Levitan wanted to either poke him in the eye or sucker punch him to the gut for that stupid expression. “Lev… do you need glasses?”

They curled up onto their side and pulled the quilt over their shoulder. “No, I don’t.”

Akio huffed, not understanding their embarrassment. “Dude, they’re just glasses. It’s not like saying you need  _ viagra _ .”

Levitan snorted and rolled onto their back. “My eyes are  _ okay _ , I just can’t read all that well.”

“I’d lend you mine, but I have the opposite problem.” He put his glasses beside the mattress, where he was sure he wouldn’t step on them. “So they’d do more harm than good.” He settled into the blankets, still reading his book, holding it barely an inch from his nose.

Levitan settled into the blankets and let their eyes close for a few minutes. Their brain was still too busy to fall asleep. The mattress wasn’t very big, so Akio was pressed quite close to them. He’d warmed up a bit, and even though it was a little blurry, Levitan could see his expression clearly enough. His brow was furrowed in concentration, his nose wrinkled up a bit when he read a gross part, and his eyes were wide and curious. He looked… pretty cute.

Oh.  _ Oh no. _

Levitan quickly directed their gaze to  _ literally anywhere else.  _ Yikes.  _ Feelings?  _ What the flying  _ fuck?  _ No, they didn’t have time for shit like that. More to the point, they thought Akio was cute in the same way a puppy dog is cute, not in the way a potential partner is cute.

Potential partner? No, no, no. They didn’t have time. They had obligations. They had Monsoon to deal with, Ryan to raise. Plus,  _ Akio?  _ No way. He didn’t even know how to fire a gun, what did it matter if he was a considerate good cook who read horror books and generally was just a sweetheart? That didn’t matter. Fuck it. Ignore that shit. They had other stuff to do.

“You okay?” Akio dog eared the page and put the book aside. “You look distracted.”

Levitan heaved a sigh, unable to make eye contact with him. “I dunno. Guess my mind feels messy.”

Akio didn’t say anything for a few minutes. The two of them let the silence hang. There was a loud burst of laughter from the living room where Dana and Ryan were still up talking. It was muffled through the walls, but they were talking animatedly. Levitan was glad. He needed friends.

“Hey,” said Akio with a small smile. “This feels like a perfect sleepover setting.”

Levitan hesitated. They raised an eyebrow. “... Where are ya goin’ with this?”

“Truth or dare?” he asked, grinning.

“ _ Ugh.  _ I don’t wanna  _ move. _ ”

“Never have I ever?”

“You sound like a teenaged girl.”

Akio snorted. He rolled onto his stomach, folding his arms under his pillow. “I guess.” He paused for a moment. “Hey, can I tell you something?”

“Well, what is it?”

Akio laughed quietly, stifling the sound behind his hand. “I gotta  _ tell  _ you, first. Jeez. I can’t, like, tell you what I’m  _ gonna  _ tell you, then tell you. That’s not how it works.”

Levitan chuckled. “You’re right, I’m sorry. What do you wanna say?”

“I wanted to say that I’m sorry.”

“Huh?”

“I’m sorry,” he said, looking a little more serious. “I’m sorry I lied to you, all the way back in Pennsylvania. I could’ve said a million other things, offered you money or something, and I had to pick  _ that  _ to lie about. I’m sorry I dragged our asses all the way across the country on a harebrained scheme built on a lie I used to stop myself from being buried alive. That was shitty. I should’ve told you sooner, and I should’ve been up front about it. I’m sorry. Can you… forgive me?”

Levitan smiled a little. “I think so. I would’a done somethin’ similar in that situation, like I told ya. ‘Cept I would’a run away, afterwards.”

“Are you glad I stuck around?”

That question surprised Levitan. “What?”

“Am I really just… annoying?” he asked quietly, hugging his pillow tightly. “We joke about it a lot, but I know I’m not tough or clever or  _ anything  _ like you. I mean… I got you the address. What could I have to offer you?”

Levitan sighed. Akio took the silence as confirmation that he was utterly useless and made a sad little noise and looked away. Levitan  _ really  _ didn’t like that noise, they didn’t want to hear him make it ever again.

“No, don’t be like that,” said Levitan quickly. “You’re a good man, Akio. I’m… glad to have met you.”

“I’m not a good man,” he said miserably. “I worked for Monsoon. I preferred to save my own skin over anyone else’s. I mean… well, I’m not really the type for self-sacrifice, but if I  _ can  _ help people I  _ will,  _ you know. I like to  _ think  _ I’ve changed a bit since I’ve met you, but… I’m still a bit of a scumbag.”

“Akio,” said Levitan. “I’m not a good person, either. I’m really, really not. You know that.”

“Yeah, but-”

“Well, same goes to you. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, what you’re capable of, or even what your priorities are. All that matters is that we care ‘bout each other, yeah?”

“... You care about me?” he asked nervously, almost afraid he’d misheard.

Levitan smiled. “Yeah, I do.”

Akio smiled. “I care about you, too. This is the closest I’ve ever had to…” He trailed off, his expression slightly broken-looking. “God, that’s depressing. Never mind, save that shit for a rainy day.” He turned his face away, still hugging onto his pillow.

“You can’t  _ start  _ shit like that an’ quit halfway through,” said Levitan, who was curious. “What were you gonna say?”

He looked over at them again. “... That this is the closest thing I’ve ever had to a family.”

Levitan took a moment to gather their thoughts. Wow. That was… sad. Really sad. They felt so bad for Akio, they wanted to express that family isn’t born, it’s made, and that he could consider himself a part of their family if he wanted.

Unfortunately, the first thing out of their mouth was, “God, that  _ is  _ depressing.”

Akio scowled. He turned his face away. “You  _ suck. _ ”

“I’m sorry,” they said quickly, trying to fix their mistake. They tentatively put a hand on his shoulder. He didn’t cringe or move away, but instead his head to look at them. 

“It’s okay, Akio,” they said. “Some people are born unlucky, and it takes them awhile to find where they fit into the world.”

Akio rolled onto his back and looked over at Levitan. “Is this really my place?”

“Well,” they said, drawing the word out. They had to think about that. It’s not like they had these answers already on file, ready to go in case of existential crisis. “I guess that depends. I dunno ‘bout you, but I get this… nice feelin’ when I’m doin’ what I’m s’posed to be, y’know? I realize that I’m doin’ good work, and I wanna keep at it.”

“... I think I feel that.”

“You’re not useless, Akio. With not much training, you could be a very valuable asset.”

Akio smiled. “Thanks, Lev.”

“Anytime.”

“Wanna get a little sleep?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Akio reached over and flicked the little lamp out. In the dark, Levitan found that they were… close. Really close. Their bodies were pressed snugly together, although they did not embrace each other, and they were quite warm. Levitan liked it, and they really didn’t want to move from this position.

“I’m  _ freezing, _ ” said Akio. “Can we… uh…”

“Cuddle?” they asked tentatively.

“Yeah. That.”

“Sure.”

Akio didn’t waste  _ any  _ time. He immediately curled up against Levitan, pressing his body tight against theirs, one arm around their waist, his leg weaving with theirs. He took a deep, grateful sigh, and settled in.

Levitan was a little bit surprised, but not much. This was a vast improvement over how they were arranged before. They  _ really  _ liked how their limbs tangled together. They tentatively ran their fingers through his hair.

“Mm,” said Akio, pushing his head into the touch. “Feels nice.”

Levitan chuckled and let their hand rest on his shoulder. “I’m glad.”

It was quiet for a few moments. They could still hear giggling from the living room.

“Hey, Lev?” Akio’s voice was soft.

“Yeah?”

“What’re we gonna do after this is over?”

… Honestly, Levitan hadn’t really thought that far ahead. They tried not to think too far ahead, usually. They weren’t sure what they wanted, or what Akio wanted, so they intended to find out. “The original plan was that I take you back to Japan.”

“Right.” He didn’t sound too hot on that option. Interesting.

“Something wrong?” they asked.

“I… I really like being with you, Lev,” he said, sounding apprehensive.

Levitan’s palms were slightly sweaty, even though the room was chilly. “Like… travelling together?”

“Doing  _ anything  _ together. I’m… really happy.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” they said, hardly able to believe what they were hearing, even though hearing him say this made their heart do a weird little flip. “You had a good job, before. Money, a future.”

“I know,” he said evenly. “But I… I wasn’t happy. In fact, I was pretty horribly depressed. Monsoon isn’t the best place to work. The supervisors are  _ harsh. _ ”

“You try being one of the  _ experiments _ ,” said Levitan dryly.

“Hah, right, sorry.” Akio cuddled up a bit closer. “I don’t wanna go back to Japan after this is over. At least… not alone.”

Levitan was surprised by this, but they tried not to seem like it. Their voice cracked a bit when they said, “Oh. Are you-”

“We could hide out there,” he said, musing aloud. “After we break the people out of LA. I own an apartment. We could stay there for awhile.”

Levitan’s mind was boggled by this. “You’re willing to-”

“Yeah,” he said, sounding a little surprised at himself. “I… I like being with you. I don’t wanna give that up. I hope you understand… and that you’re willing to let me stay.”

“Yeah,” they said, with less hesitation than they’d like to imagine. “I am.”

Akio let out a relieved breath. He yawned. “God, I’m tired.”

“Let’s go to sleep.”

“Right, of course.”

It was quiet, again. The whole apartment seemed hushed, except for the soft scratching of mice in the walls. Even Ryan and Dana’s chatting had seemed to lull at last.

Levitan’s heart was pounding and they dearly hoped Akio couldn’t feel it. Their stomach felt a little weird and twisty, their face was flushed, and for some reason they couldn’t get over the fact that Akio was pressed right against them. They could feel his breath on their clavicle. He was warm and his body was soft. They fit together well.

Yeah. He was cute. Sorta. Maybe. A bit, anyway. They saved that information for later. They didn’t have the brainpower to deal with it, now.

“Hey, Lev?”

“Yeah?”

“I wasn’t wearing your shirt, today. It was mine.”

“Oh.”

“Were you... worried about me when I got shot?”

“Go to sleep, pint-sized.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, thanks for reading! It's 1:40 AM so tell me if I made any stupid mistakes haha
> 
> Comments are loved!


	21. Close Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akio and Lev infiltrate Monsoon in disguise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: blood mention, menstruation, death mention, misgendering (for the sake of disguise purposes).
> 
> Seth, you're gonna McFreakin' love this chapter.

Akio had never worn a dress in his life. Right now, he was in the bathroom with Naomi,  was staring at a red, form-hugging, somewhat low cut red dress that hung on the back of the door. It would be on his body in less than an hour.

“I don’t like this plan,” said Akio firmly.

“Well, isn’t that a shame?” Naomi handed him a can of shaving cream and a razor. “Go shave.”

He held the can in one hand and the razor in the other. They were both pink. “I already shaved, today.”

“Not your  _ face _ .”

Akio dropped his arms to his sides. “No way.”

“Yep,” said Naomi. “I can’t find my leggings, so your legs are going to be showing in this dress. Take off your pants.”

“But-”

“ _ Take them off _ ,” said Naomi. “If you’re embarrassed, know that I don’t give a shit. I’m not interested. You can save your virginity for Lev.”

“I’m not-”

“Again, don’t really care.” She opened up a drawer and produced  _ stacks  _ of makeup. Eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, foundation, and about a million tubes of lipstick, plus a roll of brushes in every size and shape. 

Akio’s mind was boggled by the sheer  _ amount  _ there was. “Holy crap.”

Naomi looked over at him. “What?” 

“Nothing.” Akio quickly worked off his pants and socks and kicked them aside. He put his leg up on the edge of the bathtub and squirted the shaving cream into his hand. It foamed up as it came out. “Ooh.”

“ _ What? _ ” asked Naomi.

“It’s… foamy.”

Naomi rolled her eyes and huffed out a sigh that sounded like “ _ holy fuck, you’re dumb _ ”.

Akio lathered the shaving cream onto his leg and ran the razor up his shin. He winced when the blade caught on his knee and made a tiny cut. “Ow.”

Naomi looked over at him with an exasperated expression. “It’s a miracle how you’ve managed to survive this long.”

“I haven’t. I’ve died three times.” He examined the tiny cut. In less than a minute, it had healed over, leaving the skin clean and new. He ran the razor up his leg again and rinsed off the blade under the trickle that came out of the tub faucet.

“So, how’d you die?” asked Naomi, shuffling through her makeup with all four of her hands, picking out  potential shades of foundation and eyeshadow.

“Lev shot me in the head once, then Lev crashed the car we were in. Then, y’know. Harpoon to the chest.” He finished off one leg, right up to above his knee, wiped the bits of shaving cream off with a wet washcloth, then lathered up his other leg.

“I gotta ask,” said Naomi, “I don’t think Lev would like it if I asked them, and I don’t really wanna ask Ryan because it might bother him, but-”

“You don’t mind asking me?” he asked dryly, running the razor up his leg.

“Well, I don’t really care about your opinion of me, so there’s that.”

“Ah.”

“I was gonna ask…” She stopped and looked over at him, her expression very serious. “What’s dying like?”

Akio was slightly taken aback by this. “Oh. Um… It’s… really hard to explain.”

“We got time.”

He hummed and finished shaving his leg while he thought about it. He wiped off the rest of the cream, set the razor aside, and sat down on the closed toilet. “Well… it’s kind of a blur, and each time is a bit different. The first time was a bullet, so it was quick. Everything went black. Second time took a bit longer. I broke my neck, so I remember the pain of breaking the bones in my body. Coming back after that one… was pretty brutal.” He shook his head, trying not to think about how weird it had felt when Levitan had snapped his neck back into place. “And the harpoon… well, I came to before it was out of me, which was… not great. I don’t really know how it all works, but…”

“But what about the in between part?” asked Naomi. “After you die, but before you wake up?”

“I… I don’t really know. It kinda fucks with my memory, but… I remember it being dark. And warm. It was so empty. I don’t even really know what to think of it.”

“Huh. No golden gates or angels?”

“Didn’t see any, but I’ll keep you posted.”

Naomi chuckled. “Hold out your hand.”

Akio obliged. She dabbed a bit of liquid foundation on the back of his hand, then examined it. “Mm, little too pale for you.”

“Hmm.” Akio still wasn’t sure how he felt about this whole process. He waited while Naomi grabbed another type of foundation, this time it was powder, and dusted a bit onto his hand with a brush. 

“Much better,” she said approvingly. “Alright, close your eyes. I’m only gonna add a bit.”

Akio closed his eyes with a sigh. He winced away when the brush touched his cheek.

“Oh, for the love of God.” Naomi gripped his chin with two hands while they other two applied the foundation with a light brush. She dusted over forehead, cheeks, and chin.

Akio sneezed when the bristles touched his nose.

“You have an adorable sneeze,” said Naomi teasingly. “Keep your eyes closed, I’m gonna put on some primer.”

Akio eventually got used to the sensation of having his face touched with brushes. It wasn’t all that bad, and he began to find it soothing in a way. Naomi applied the eyeshadow, added highlights and contouring on his cheeks, filled in his eyebrows, and drew on the eyeliner with quick precision.

“Almost done,” she said cheerily.

“I’m not going to look like a tramp, am I?” he asked sourly. “I ain’t that kinda girl.”

“No, more like a lower middle class up-and-coming young businesswoman. ‘Cept you’re gonna have tattoos.”

“ _ Excuse  _ me?” he asked.

“Open your eyes.

Akio blinked. He looked up at Naomi, who seemed pleased with her handiwork.

“Gotta add some mascara and lipstick, and that’ll be it. I’m thinking a bright red or strong pink. Going for something a little more saucy. You have a really nice mouth, it would be a shame not to play it up.” She opened a tube of mascara. “Don’t blink.”

Akio held his eyes open while she put the mascara on his lashes, then he tried to avoid blinking while it dried. Naomi dabbed a small mole on the left side of his nose, under his eye, then she opened a tube of lipstick.

“Let your lips part slightly,” she said, “stretch ‘em a little.”

Ako followed the directions. Naomi expertly ran the stick over his lips, capped it, and handed it to him.

“Hang onto this,” she said. “It comes off sorta easy. Oh, and put a finger in your mouth like this.” She demonstrated, pulling her finger from between her lips with a slight pop.

Akio copied her, and noticed the small ring of lipstick on his forefinger.

“So you don’t get it on your teeth,” she clarified. 

“Whoa. Do all girls know this sorta stuff?”

“Only the ones who are into makeup, like me. I watch a shit-ton of Youtube tutorials. Take off your shirt.”

Akio grumbled and pulled his t-shirt over his head, trying not to mess up his makeup, then cringed as Naomi handed him a bra to put on. It was  _ red _ , and it was  _ lacy _ , and it looked really weird when paired up with his briefs.

“I don’t have boobs,” he said flatly.

“Not yet, you don’t.” She held up a pair of strange things that looked like they were made of rubber. 

After inspecting them for a moment, Akio realized they were a pair of fake breasts with a simple curlicue tattoo design in the cleavage. They were… realistic. Not large, a B-cup at most, but certainly more than he’d ever had, before. He didn’t care for them, but he put his bra on and put the breasts into the cups. They felt a little strange on his bare skin.

“Just gotta blend,” said Naomi, taking up her brush, again. “Give you a bit of cleavage.”

“Oh my god.” He directed his gaze up at the ceiling as Naomi blended the fake breasts into his skin and implied cleavage with contouring. He tried to think about literally anything else. It was a warm day, today. He kind of wanted ice cream.

“Here.” Naomi handed him the red dress, a scarf, and a pair of white open-toed shoes with kitten heels. “I thought about making you wear stilettos, but you kinda need to work your way up to those.”

Akio heaved a dramatic sigh as he pulled the dress over his head and the infinity scarf over his neck to hide his adam’s apple. He put his feet into the high heels, smoothed down his skirt, and made jazz hands. “How do I look?”

Naomi grinned and gave him a thumbs up with two hands, pointing to the mirror with her other two. “See for yourself!”

Akio closed his eyes, braced himself, and stepped in front of the mirror. He opened his eyes.

Oh. 

_ Oh. _

He looked… pretty damn good. He barely recognized himself. Naomi played with his hair and fluffed up his cowlicks while he examined his reflection.

The makeup was quite classy, actually. The contours made his face look longer and made his cheekbones prominent. His eyebrows were sharp, he was wearing neutral toned eyeshadow and bold eyeliner. His skin looked clear, and his lips were very pronounced with the lipstick. The dress hugged his form nicely. His legs felt smooth and silky. He could see a bit of a tattoo peeking out from under his low cut top, but the fake breasts blended in really well with his skin, particularly because the scarf covered up some of his cleavage.

“I feel… pretty,” he said inarticulately.

“You should. You  _ look  _ pretty.” She stepped back and folded two of her arms, the other two planting firmly on her hips. “I do good work. That lipstick really suits you.”

He twirled the tube in his fingers. Naomi handed him a small white purse.

“Don’t spill anything on that,” she said. “It’s one of my favourites.”

Akio voiced a question he’d been wondering. “Do you go out much?”

“Not during the summer,” she said, not making eye contact. “But it’s a bit later in the year, so I can get away with wearing bulky coats. Just wrap my arms around my stomach and act pregnant. I can get priority seating and everything!”

Akio chuckled. “Nice. Alright, I’ll be careful with it.” He dropped the lipstick into the purse and pulled the spaghetti strap over his shoulder.

“I’m sure Lev is gonna wanna see you,” said Naomi teasingly.

They rolled their eyes. “ _ Ugh.  _ They’re gonna make fun of me, I know it.”

“Don’t stress!” she said, waving two of her hands nonchalantly. “They’re getting a makeover, too.”

Jeez, he wondered what  _ that  _ would be like. Trying not to sweat too much and praying that his antiperspirant would hold, he opened the door to the bathroom. Naomi trotted out first and went into the kitchen. Akio stuck his head out and saw Levitan.

“Hey.” Lev was leaning against the wall outside the bathroom. They stopped dead when they saw him and raked their eyes over him, top to bottom. Akio felt vulnerable under the scrutiny. “Wow. You look good.”

Oh, man. He quickly bit down on his lip to stifle his laughter. Levitan looked more masculine than usual, he could just barely make out a binder under their white tank top. Their scar on their nose had been covered over with makeup, their hair had been shaved on the sides and back so they had a slight fauxhawk, and they held a grey fedora in their hands. They’d donned a navy blue button-up that was cuffed up to the elbow, worn jeans, and  _ socks with sandals. _

“So do you,” he said at last.

“If you don’t look at my  _ feet, _ ” they said, not daring to look down. They put the fedora on their head. “This is horrifying to me.”

“I can tell.” He giggled.

“You make a cute lady,” said Levitan, stepping up to him, hands in their pockets. “Lipstick looks good on you.”

“Thanks.” He fiddled with his bra strap as it slid down his shoulder, feeling a bit self conscious. He looked down and noticed the bulge in Levitan’s jeans. “Um.”

“Yeah,” they said when they saw his gaze. “I’m packin’.”

He made a bit of a face. “It doesn’t look right. It’s too low.”

“Oh, uh,” Levitan was flustered. They tried to grab the packer through their jeans and shift it into the right place. “It’s been awhile since I’ve had to, um…”

Akio swatted their hands out of the way, clicking his tongue. “Look, you gotta move it up so it’s higher.” He put his hands where theirs were and shifted the packer up towards their stomach.

“I was putting it over my clit,” they said, face heating with embarrassment.

It was only then that Akio noticed how intimate this was. He yanked his hands away. He knew he must be bright red, and he felt like his heart was trying to escape his chest. “Oh god, I’m sorry! I should’a asked.” He fixed his bra strap with a thumb.

“Hey, it’s okay,” said Levitan. They adjusted their packer a little with two fingers. “Better?”

“Move the dick to the side a bit,” said Akio, gesturing vaguely. “It’ll be more comfortable.”

Levitan popped the button on their jeans and slid their hand into their boxer briefs to adjust it properly. “There. Think I got it.”

“Yeah, you got it.” He adjusted his bra strap again.

“Looks a little loose,” said Levitan. “Want me to fix it?”

“Yeah, that would be great.” He turned his back to them. 

Levitan stepped up behind him and moved his dress aside. “It’s low in the back.”

“Breezy,” he said.

They snorted and adjusted his bra straps for him, first one, then the other. “How does that feel?”

“Good.” He adjusted his breasts slightly. “I don’t really care for these fake tits.”

“They look good on you,” they said, resting a hand on his hip.

Akio chuckled. “I just don’t like the way they feel on my skin. Kinda sticky.”

“Mm, I get that.” Levitan circled their thumb over his hip. “We need names. I’ll be… um…” They scratched their head, then snapped their fingers. “ _ Chris. _ ”

“I can be Haru,” said Akio, picking the first name that popped into his head.

“Another Japanese name,” they said appraisingly. “We’re supposed to be married, so… what should our last name be?”

“Smith?”

“Eh, no. Jones?”

“Yeah, that’s good. Generic enough.” He winced. “Shit, what should I do about my voice?”

“Hmm… well, for once, I can do all the talking. Just… speak with a feminine lilt?” Levitan cleared their throat and spoke in an accent that he’d never heard from them, before. It was nothing like their Texas twang, and instead it sounded more northern. “Let’s say we’re from Washington, on our honeymoon.”

“Okay, that’s easy enough to remember.” Akio blew a stray hair out of his eyes. “I can’t see all that well without my glasses.”

“It’s okay, we can help each other out.” Levitan pushed a lock of hair behind his ear. “You can look at stuff close up, I can look at stuff that’s far away.”

Akio pouted. “I prefer your southern accent.”

“Heh, me too,” they said, “But what can you do?” They held out an arm for him to take. “Shall we?”

Akio laughed and put on his most feminine sounding voice. “We shall!”

“Hey, that’s not half bad.” They laughed together as they stepped out into the living room, ready to go.

Akio liked how easily they fit together. He wanted to rest his head on Levitan’s shoulder.

“Hey, check it out!” said Naomi. She was holding up a pair of pants. “I found my leggings, after all!”

Akio groaned. “I shaved my legs for  _ nothing? _ ”

“They look nice,” said Levitan, glancing down at them. “So there’s that.”

Akio let his legs touch together. Yeah. They felt smooth. “I feel like a dolphin.”

Levitan snorted and clapped a hand over their mouth to stifle their laughter.

Akio loved their laugh.

 

The LA Monsoon looked  _ nothing  _ like its New York counterpart. It was tiny, a small office space that took up one tall, narrow building in downtown. It was an older building, and it looked just a bit run down, but it was spotlessly clean and the sign outside was bright white. There was a little poster in the window that said “$10 Tours!”

Akio vaguely remembered tours that would go through the New York Monsoon building once in awhile. The occasional touristy thing, lots of tours for potential employees and grad students, and even the rare school field trip. In retrospect, he realized that it was pretty sick that they were parading a bunch of elementary school kids through an institution while just under their feet, there were hundreds of people suffering. In another lifetime, it would be a creepy, mutated version of “Scared Straight”.

Ryan and James sat in a stolen car behind the building, tapping into the security systems and getting a good lay of the land. Akio had a walkie-talkie in his purse. He and Lev planned to go in and check to see when the tours would be. 

“You ready,  _ Darling? _ ” asked Levitan, still putting on the Seattle accent.

“I’m ready,” he said sweetly. He linked his arm with Levitan’s and they walked up the steps into the building.

The lobby was small. There were a few chairs and a coffee table with magazines. Much to their surprise, there were more than a few people milling around in there.

Levitan went up to the front desk with Akio in tow. “Hello! We’re curious about the tours?”

The secretary smiled. “Oh, you’re just in time.”

“It’s… right now?” asked Levitan, not quite expecting that.

Akio slipped his hand into his purse and pressed his thumb over the button on the walkie-talkie so James and Ryan could listen in on the conversation.

“Last tour until after Christmas,” she said. “Lucky you got here when you did! That’ll be twenty dollars for the two of you.”

“Oh, of course.” Levitan fished out their wallet and cringed. The only had hundred dollar bills. They passed one over to her.

“What’re you two doing visiting a little place like this?” she asked as she rang up their change.

“Well,” said Levitan, “We’re on our honeymoon.” They slung an arm around Akio’s shoulders, pulling him in close. “It’s a weird time of year, so not much touristy stuff is open. My lovely wife has a degree in Biology and is very interested in this company so, well, here we are. Isn’t that right?” Levitan looked down at Akio expectantly.

Akio giggled a little. “Yeah. He’s a real sweetheart.” He rested his hand on their chest, feeling proud that he managed to nail the feminine tone so easily. He didn’t like referring to Levitan as a  _ he.  _ It didn’t feel right.

“Aw, that’s sweet,” said the cashier, passing back the change and the receipt. “Hang onto this.”

“Thank you kindly,” they said, struggling to keep the Texan accent out of their voice. They shoved the money and receipt back into their pocket.

“This wasn’t part of the plan,” mumbled Akio under his breath. “We were just supposed to scope out the place a  _ little _ . Ryan and James must be freaking out, they wanted to be in here, too.”

“It’s the last tour of the season,” replied Levitan, slipping back into their regular tone of voice. “Nothin’ we can do ‘bout it. We’ll just have to roll with the punches.”

“Right, right, okay.” He took a breath and they turned back in time to face the crowd.

“Welcome, everybody!” said a representative. He was wearing a labcoat practically identical to Akio’s old one and had an irritatingly bright smile painted onto his face. “It’s a real pleasure to have all of you here!”

There was a group of about fifteen people, most of them looked like university students, since they had notepads at the ready. Levitan and Akio didn’t stick out too bad, there was at least one other couple present. They hung towards the back of the group, fighting hard not to seem to conspicuous. It didn’t help that Levitan practically towered over everybody.

“Let’s begin the historical tour of the Monsoon company!” said the tour guide. “If you would all follow me this way.”

“ _ Keep an eye out for anything suspicious, _ ” mumbled Levitan in Akio’s ear, wearing a smile as if they were whispering something romantic.

Akio giggled and playfully swatted their shoulder.

“The Monsoon company began back in eighteen-eighty-six,” said the tour guide as they walked down the hallway, past many rows of black and white photos depicting groups of scientists with different years labelled at the bottom, “And was founded by Henry Monsoon. He was inspired by Darwin’s theory of evolution, and he wanted to know whether it would be possible to speed up or alter the process.”

Akio could see Levitan’s distaste for the topic at hand, but they hid it quite well. Akio tried not to think about when he went on a very similar tour himself, less than a year ago.

Jeez. A whole lot has changed, since then.

The tour guide continued as they passed a cabinet of awards. “Monsoon’s initial experiments started, and mostly continue with, plant genetics. First, they altered small things, such as colour, but then they began to alter more important aspects of the plants. Size, durability, how well they travelled, and resistance to pests, to name a few.”

Levitan and Akio lagged behind the group as they travelled upstairs. When they turned the corner, they stayed behind and crept back down to the main floor.

“No guards,” said Levitan. “At least, not up here.”

“Shouldn’t we check the upstairs?” asked Akio.

Levitan shook their head. “No, if there are Mutants here, they’ll be in the basement, in the dark.”

“We need to explore,” said Akio in an undertone. “If we get caught, we’ll act like we got separated from the tour.”

“Good plan.”

Akio pulled the walkie-talkie from his purse and held it to his mouth. “Scoping out the scene, over.”

The walkie-talkie buzzed. “ _ Roger _ ,” came Ryan’s voice. “ _ Be careful, over. _ ”

Akio stowed it away.

They crept down the winding hallway. They snuck past office after office, and passed by the glass window of a laboratory that looked almost identical to the one Akio used to work in. Akio held onto Levitan’s hand as they walked, his high heels making soft clicks on the tile floor.

“I’m not seeing it,” hissed Levitan under their breath. “There’s  _ gotta  _ be something here.”

“Where  _ are  _ we?” he asked. “This building is a nightmare.”

“We’ll figure it out.” 

They took another turn, and bumped right into a scientist holding a tray of plant specimens.

He looked startled. “What’re you two doing back here?”

Levitan immediately acted apologetic. Akio clung to their arm, heart pounding in his throat. 

“Sorry,” they said, “We got separated from the tour group.”

“Oh, well, the stairs are back that way.” He gestured with his chin. “I’ll show you, they shouldn’t be too hard to catch up to.”

“Thanks,” said Levitan, sounding relieved. They gripped his hand tighter. Their palm was sweaty.

They followed after the scientist who showed them the stairs, and Akio cursed their rotten luck. They still had no idea where the mutants were, or if they were even here, at all.

They took a slightly different path to get back to the stairs. They passed down a corridor they hadn’t seen before.

Akio saw something strange as they walked down the hall. They passed by a large, metal door that was locked with a key code. It looked different from all the other doors.

Akio pinched Levitan’s hand and pointed discreetly.

Levitan’s eyes widened when they saw the door. They nodded once, before they trotted forward to keep up with the scientist.

“Here are the stairs,” he said cheerfully. “Don’t get lost again!”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” said Levitan with a smile. They took the stairs two at a time, pulling Akio along behind.

“We have to get back to that door,” he hissed. “How’re we gonna get it open?”

“Hand me the walkie.”

Akio quickly dug it out of his purse and passed it over to Levitan.

“Hey,” said Levitan into the little radio. “We found a big metal door in the back of the building. See what y’all can do ‘bout it, over.”

“ _ Roger that, over. _ ”

Akio took walkie-talkie back and shoved it into his purse. They’d almost caught up with the group.

“Oh, there you two are!” said the guide as they rejoined the tour. “We were wondering where you guys got to.”

“Oh, you know,” said Levitan bashfully wrapping an arm around Akio’s shoulders. “Just married, and all that, isn’t that right, baby?”

There were some giggles in the group, particularly when Akio grasped Levitan’s shirt collar and said, “Yeah, that’s right.”

Levitan grinned, their hand sliding down to his waist. Playing up the idea that they were fooling around, they leaned down and kissed him.

Akio’s heart jumped right into his throat when they did that. He felt weak in the knees. Levitan’s scent of slight sweat, slight musk, and cigarettes made him just a little bit dizzy. Their lips were chapped against his, gentle but firm.

Levitan pulled away, keeping the kiss chaste. He’d left a lipstick mark on their mouth. He could see the concern in their eyes at his confused, slightly blissed-out expression.

“Sorry,” they mumbled. The tour guide had moved on to other topics, nobody was paying attention to them, now. “That isn’t gonna make things  _ weird _ , is i-”

Before they could finish their question, Akio had tugged on their collar and pulled them back into another kiss.

Levitan stiffened, and Akio realized that this gesture might be unwelcome, but to his surprise they returned the kiss in full. The fabric of his dress bunched under their hand as they pulled him close, pressing their bodies together. They tilted their head and deepened the kiss, and Akio couldn’t help the small moan that escaped him. Their thigh pressed between his legs and he couldn’t help grinding against them just slightly.

Levitan broke away, flushed and flustered and a bit sweaty. Akio quickly held the handbag in front of himself to hide his arousal.

“I… uh…” said Levitan quietly.

“I’m sorry,” apologized Akio hastily, forgetting to use his feminine voice. “Was that-”

“No, I shouldn’t have, it’s-”

“It’s not, it was me who-”

“ _ Ahem, _ ” said the tour guide.

Levitan and Akio quickly shut their mouths and turned back to face the guide. Levitan discreetly wiped the lipstick from their lips on the back of their wrist. Akio took out a compact and applied a little more onto his lower lip.

He saw Levitan staring at him, more specifically at his lips. They looked… he wasn’t sure. Wanting?

It was then that Lev quickly looked away and stepped in front of him.

And Akio almost had a heart attack when he saw  _ the stain on the back of Levitan’s jeans. _

This plan was going  _ so fucking well. _

“ _ Lev _ ,” he whispered urgently.

“What is it,  _ Haru? _ ” they asked pointedly.

“Take off your shirt,” he said, slowly and quietly.

Levitan raised an eyebrow. “Wrong time, wrong place?”

“No, the button up. Tie it around your hips.”

“Wh… why?”

“You’re  _ bleeding, _ ” he whispered.

Levitan furrowed their brow. “No, that’s impossible. I can’t…” They slipped their hand behind them.

Their fingers came away slightly brown.

“Oh  _ fuck, _ ” they whispered. They quickly pulled their arms from the sleeves of the shirt and tied it around their waist. “Holy shit. That was close. If anyone  _ saw- _ ”

“I know,” he mumbled.

Levitan looked deeply humiliated, and Akio couldn’t blame them. They looked at him pleadingly. “You wouldn’t…  _ tell  _ anyone about this, would you? Fuck, this is embarrassing.”

“No, never.” He locked fingers with Levitan.

They shifted uncomfortably. “Ew, now that I’ve noticed, I feel all gross.”

“Tour will be over in a few minutes,” he said quietly. It was true, they were heading back downstairs.

“We need to see the door,” they murmured as the group went down the steps. “Just one more time.” They tugged his hand and pulled him off. “C’mon.”

They retraced their steps and found themselves at the door, again. They tried the handle.

It swung open easily. There was a long flight of steps down that ended with another door.

At that moment, they heard a scream from downstairs.

“This is it,” said Levitan reverently. Their fingers gripped the door tightly. “We found it, for sure.”

“Should we go down?”

Levitan hesitated, but they pulled away and closed the door. “No. We can’t. We don’t have any weapons, and we  _ barely  _ have any backup. We have to get back to the group.”

“But-”

“We’ll come back soon,” they said. “We can put our notes together with what James and Ryan got from the security cameras. We’ll come back for them.”

They said it like a promise. Akio nodded in agreement and took their hand again.

They two of them quickly crept back to join the group as they got to the lobby. As they jogged to catch up, Levitan’s shirt slipped from their hips.

“ _ Shit, _ ” they cursed, quickly bending to pick it up.

Akio saw the same scientist from before who’d had the plant samples. He stared at Levitan when they bent over, and Akio’s heart thrummed. He stepped behind them, blocking them from view, trying to seem casual about the whole thing.

Levitan tied the shirt around their hips. Akio glanced back at the scientist. He seemed to be writing a note of some kind.

_ Shit. _

Akio slid his arm around Levitan’s waist. “We need to go. Now.”

“Why?” asked Levitan.

“I think someone saw the stain. We need to leave.”

Levitan’s fingers left bruises on his shoulder. “Right. Of course.”

Akio caught an odd look from the tour guide as he walked by, and he realized that he’d been talking in his normal speaking voice.  _ Shit, shit! _

He quickly pulled them towards the door, just as they heard a commotion down the hallway. Something about security system flaws.

They dashed outside and down the precarious steps. Akio’s heel slipped on the concrete, but Levitan caught him under his arm and stopped him from falling. They walked away from the building at a clip, hearts pounding in their chests.

“That was  _ too  _ close,” said Levitan, leaning heavily against the brick wall of a neighboring building. “ _ Way  _ too close for  _ so  _ many reasons.”

“No kidding,” said Akio. “Let’s  _ never  _ do that again.”

“Ugh, ain’t gonna promise that.” Levitan picked at their cuticles. “I didn’t think I  _ could  _ get my period anymore. I thought… they had sterilized me.”

“You were probably taking hormones with your food,” said Akio. “BCP, maybe. You’ve been off of them for a week, so it kinda makes sense.”

“Jesus, really?” They rubbed their fingers over their eyes and tilted their head back. “Holy shit. I can… have another kid.”

Akio was really surprised to hear that from them. For some reason, he didn’t think they would want another child. He put a sympathetic hand on their forearm.

“You need to work on self control, pal,” said Levitan, pushing his hand away. “Cis ladies don’t get boners.”

Akio tried to wave them off and  _ not  _ seem totally embarrassed. “Yeah, well, it’s kinda hard  _ not  _ to get horny when I’m kissing someone so… well…”

Levitan gave him an expectant look and gestured with their hand to continue. “So...?”

“So…  _ fucking  _ hot.”

Levitan looked… surprised. Akio wanted to kiss the stupid look off of their face, so he slid his hands up to their shoulders and gripped their tank top by the straps.

“I, uh,” said Levitan, eyes wide with shock. “Was it… for pretend?”

“Do you want it to be?” he asked, tightening his grip.

They hesitated for a moment, making Akio’s heart do nervous little twists in his chest, but they shook their head.

“Well,” he said, trying to come across as suave and failing. “You could, maybe… kiss me again?”

Levitan smiled. “I ain’t ‘bout to object to that.”

They allowed him to pull them down into another kiss. This one was softer, and a bit sweeter, and Akio entirely paced it. Lev rested their hands on Akio’s hips, and he wrapped his arms around their neck. Akio’s stomach was filled with butterflies, and he could feel Levitan’s heart pounding.

It was… romantic.

At the beeping of a car horn, they jumped apart. Ryan had pulled the car up next to them, and he was wearing a disgusted and shocked look on his face.

“Holy shit,” he said.

James had one button popped on his collar. He held out his hand to Ryan.

Ryan grumbled as he passed him five dollars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments are kick ass!
> 
> SETH TEXT ME  
> HI KALE


	22. Frank Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few important dialogues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: a hint of sexual themes, barely PG 13.

Akio had changed out of his dress, into a t-shirt and jeans, and had put his glasses back on his nose. He’d left the makeup on. He actually kind of liked it. Levitan had changed into a different pair of pants and had thrown the first pair out the window, never to be seen again. 

Five of them sat at the kitchen table, having a quick conference about what had happened, to discuss plans and debrief. Akio had attempted to sit next to Levitan, but before he could, Ryan had shoved his chair between them and plopped down, giving him a death glare as he did so.

Naomi had listened patiently while they all discussed the events of the day. When it came to the part where Levitan had kissed Akio, she held out her hand and Ryan deposited  _ another  _ five dollars with a dramatic groan.

“ _ Seriously? _ ” asked Akio. “Have you nothing better to do?”

“I haven’t left this apartment in four months,” said Naomi flatly.

“Moving on,” said James, “Between your intel and what we were able to get from the security system.” He spread out a blueprint on the table. “We have a fairly good layout of the building. We weren’t able to tap into the security cameras underground, the connection wasn’t strong enough. We’re gonna have to fly blind when we go in there.”

“Right,” said Levitan. “We can work with that. We’ve improvised, before.”

James snickered. “I can think of a few times we’ve had to do that.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me.” They smiled at some long-forgotten memory that had resurfaced.

“What’s your plan?” asked Naomi, drumming the fingers of two of her hands on the table.

“Akio and I can’t die,” said Lev, “so it makes sense that we should go in on the ground level.”

“What about me?” asked Ryan.

“Out of the question,” they replied firmly. “I’m not lettin’ you risk your neck again.”

Ryan clenched his fists. “But-”

“Son,” they said. “You can’t die, neither… but we don’t know your limitations. More to the point, if you get  _ captured _ …”

“Lev, I can handle  _ anything _ ,” he said confidently, sweeping his arm in an extravagant gesture. “Trust me, I’ve been through a lotta rough times.”

James, Naomi, and Lev all stared at him solemnly.

“No,” said Naomi, looking away. “You can’t handle everything. You don’t know what it’s like, and thank your lucky stars you’ll never  _ have  _ to know, if you play your cards right.”

“Monsoon will  _ ruin  _ you,” said James. All of his eyes were focussed on Ryan. “Most of us never made it this far. Most of have perished because of our mutations, or at the hands of the very people who made us. Monsoon created us, and they think that they own us. Well…” He flicked a piece of dirt on the table. “They sorta do.”

“ _ They don’t, _ ” snapped Levitan. “They never will.”

“Face the facts,” said Naomi tiredly. “They control our lives. We can’t get away from it, not every. They bred us into  _ freaks _ , and we can never live normal lives. They’ve created us so they can patent and sell our DNA, so hey could push the limitations of science…”

“ _ For the good of mankind, _ ” chorused Levitan, James, and Naomi bitterly.

Akio felt shame burn the back of his neck when he remembered seeing that exact phrase plastered on all of the company stationary, on the posters, and in the introductory videos.

For the good of mankind.

Ryan still looked a bit dubious, like he thought they might be exaggerating slightly, but Akio knew they weren’t. He knew Monsoon, and he knew what they were capable of. He wasn’t sure if he would survive if he were put into that situation.

Well… he would survive by default, but he might not be able to keep his sanity. He couldn’t imagine that… being immortal, but his mind being completely gone. He supposed that there are worse fates than death.

Ryan leaned back in his chair. “We need to move, soon. I think one or two of the scientists might have been suspicious of you guys.”

“Not one of my proudest moments,” said Levitan bitterly. They looked down at their folded hands, ears red with humilation.

“I don’t blame  _ you _ ,” said Ryan. “I blame  _ him. _ ” He jabbed a thumb at Akio.

Akio was offended. “Excuse me?”

“You took it too far,” he accused. “Kissing Lev like that.”

The table went quiet.

“Um,” said Levitan slowly, “I know my memory ain’t the  _ best, _ but I believe  _ I  _ kissed  _ him. _ ”

Ryan folded his arms. “Whatever it was, I don’t like it.”

“... Okay,” said Naomi, “that aside, you guys just had some really bad luck. You did good with what you had.”

“Stealth isn’t somethin’ I’m known for,” said Levitan. They let out a small sigh and rubbed their eyes. “Today’s been  _ so  _ long.”

Naomi stood from her seat to stir the pot of soup on the stove. “Maybe we should have something to eat and sleep on this whole thing.”

“Yes, right,” said James, rolling up the blueprint. “That’s a good idea.”

Levitan seemed hesitant, but looking around the table at all the tired faces, they realized that the others had already been through enough, that day. They sighed, but vowed to start coming up with plan details on their own time. 

Akio stood from his seat and walked over to Levitan’s side. He put a hand on their shoulder and said, “Hey, we can talk strategies over if you want. I mean… I won’t be able to help much, but I can listen and offer my two cents.”

Levitan smiled up at him. “It’s alright, pint-sized. We can talk it over, tomorrow.”

He squeezed their shoulder. “Okay, but if you change your mind…”

Akio caught the most horrifying death glare he’d ever seen from Ryan. He tentatively pulled his hand away.

He had a feeling that Ryan was going to say something to him. It was just a matter of time.

 

He didn’t have to wait long.

It was late, and Akio was brushing his teeth. His eyes were partly closed, and he’d finally taken off his makeup. Naomi had told him he had to, otherwise it would give him bad skin and it would ruin the pillows. He kind of missed how his mouth looked with lipstick. 

He leaned over and spat in the sink. When he straightened, he let out a slightly girlish scream of surprise. Ryan was standing  _ right behind him. _

“Um, hi,” said Akio, trying to slip past him. “How long have  _ you  _ been there?”

“About a minute,” he said. Ryan had an inch on him in height, and he was using it at this moment. “I tried to trade beds with you. Lev said no.”

Akio’s chest filled with something warm when he said that. “Oh?”

“We gotta talk.”

“About what?” he said innocently.

“You and Lev.”

“Ah.”

“I have no idea what they see in you,” said Ryan, “but they’ve had enough shit to deal with in their life. If you treat them bad, if you put them through any  _ stupid  _ drama bullshit, or if you break their heart… I’m gonna fuckin’ come after you with a baseball bat and bury you out in the Los Angeles desert.  _ Are we clear? _ ”

“Don’t you trust Lev to make their own choices?” he asked weakly.

Ryan looked away. “Lev doesn’t always make the best decisions.”

Akio wondered what he meant by that, but before he could ask, Ryan cut him off.

“Listen,” said Ryan. “Lev’s the only real family I got. If you think you can make them happy, then Mazeltov. But if your intentions aren’t-”

“Looks,” said Akio firmly, “we haven’t talked it out, yet. It was just a kiss, Ryan.”

Ryan frowned at him. Not the right thing to say. Akio pressed on.

“We’re both adults, and we can both decide what we want out of this, if anything at all,” said Akio. “We’re gonna talk about it, and I’ll let you know. Okay?”

“Okay,” said Ryan reluctantly after a few beats, “but if I hear any sex noises, so help me  _ god. _ ”

Akio flushed a little. “Noted.” He edged his way past Ryan and slipped into the closet where they were sleeping.

Fairly satisfied with a job well done, Ryan returned to the couch where he planned to sleep. Dana was taking her turn on the gameboy.

Ryan sat next to her. He really admired how gentle she was, even with her claws. She tapped them softly on the gameboy buttons, never so much as denting or scratching it. Even when she handled things more delicate like the plates or magazines, she was always careful. Her claws were blunt, and he just noticed that they were painted purple.

Tanner put his strange, sticky little fingers on Dana’s scaly arm and clicked with his tongue.

“Quit it,” said Dana, pulling away. His fingers stuck to her arm. “I  _ just  _ got on.”

“You’ve been playing for twenty minutes,” said Ryan.

Dana shot him an incredulous look, her golden eyes wide. “Whose side are you on?”

“The side that’s  _ also  _ waiting for a turn.”

Dana grumbled and handed the device over to Tanner. “Don’t waste all the Pokeballs I just bought.”

Tanner clicked in reply and stuck his tongue out.

“ _ Rude, _ ” she said.

“I like your claws,” said Ryan. “That’s a good colour.”

“Aw, thanks!” said Dana, holding her hand out. “I just did them.”

Ryan looked at his nails and clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “Mine came off  _ ages  _ ago.”

“Ooh, I have a few different colours,” said Dana, hopping up from the couch. “I could paint your nails for you? If that’s okay?”

“Um, heck yeah!” said Ryan. “It’ll keep me from biting them.”

“Sweet!” Dana pulled out a little box from the shelf in the living room. “I have purple, dark blue, green, red, and black.”

“Mm, I did black last time. How about blue?”

“Sure. I think it would suit you nicely.” She hopped back up on the couch, shaking the tiny bottle between her claws. “Hold out your hand.”

Ryan obliged willingly. Dana took his hand in hers and laid it on her knee. She unscrewed the lid on the nail polish and brushed a coat over his thumb.

“Heard you talking to Akio,” she said mildly. “Everything okay?”

Ryan rolled his eyes. “How would  _ you  _ feel if some dude you barely met started hitting on your parent?”

“I dunno. I haven’t seen my mom in ten years.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

“It’s fine. It was a long time ago.” They moved onto the next nail. “Bet it’s weird, though. Why does it bother you?”

Ryan made a face. “Aside from the general image of Lev  _ having sex?  _ Lots of reasons.”

“They’re not celibate, Ryan. You were born weren’t you.”

“Ugh, ew.” He moved his hand slightly as Dana painted his pinky finger. “Let’s change the subject and never speak of this again.”

Tanner clicked his tongue, sticky thumbs still tapping on the gameboy. He was clearly laughing at him. Ryan deliberately ignored it.

“Do you think he’s gonna treat them bad?” asked Dana.

“No. He’s an okay guy, Lev can handle themself.”

“Do you think he’s not good enough for Lev?”

“Nobody’s good enough for Lev.”

“... Right. Other hand.”

Ryan flicked his wrist in the air to dry the paint on his nails while Dana set to work on his other hand. “I dunno. I guess I’m just protective.”

“That’s nice, but it’s not really your job,” said Dana.

“What?”

“Lev’s  _ your  _ parent. It’s  _ their  _ job to protect  _ you,  _ not the other way around.” Dana dipped the brush into the bottle again. “I know you busted them out of Monsoon, but that was a whole different ballgame. They didn’t ask you to, and  more to the point, part of them probably  _ really  _ didn’t like that you were putting yourself in danger like that.”

“But-” he protested.

“They can make choices on their own,” she said, dipping the brush back into the nail polish. “Besides, what if Akio makes them really happy?”

Ryan puffed the air out from his cheeks. “I’m just worried he’s gonna break their heart.”

“There’s always a risk to that sorta thing, isn’t there?” asked Dana. “That’s how all of life works.”

“Yeah. Right. But hasn’t Lev been through enough, already?”

“Maybe, but that’s their choice.”

Ryan let his head loll back. “Why are you so  _ goddamn  _ reasonable? I wanted you to be mad on my behalf!”

“What, do you want me to say that I’d help you smash Akio’s kneecaps and bury him in the desert if he fucked up?”

“Yeah, maybe a little.”

Dana snorted and screwed the lid back onto the nail polish. “I’m sure that would help a whole lot.”

“Maybe not,” said Ryan as he waved his hands to let his nails dry. “But it would sure make me feel better.”

Dana laughed, and so did Ryan. Tanner continued to play the game while Ryan and Dana talked.

They went to bed a few hours later without taking their turns. They’d been talking together the whole time.

 

Akio closed the closet door behind him. Levitan was sitting up on the mattress, holding the morning paper out in front of them at arm’s length.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hi.”

“I think I was just threatened by your son.”

Levitan looked up at him, surprised. They let the paper fall into their lap. “Oh?”

“Yeah. Something about burying me out in the desert if I break your heart.”

“Oh, god. I saw the glares he was giving you, today. I think he was trying to make your head explode with his mind.” They set the paper aside.

Akio crawled under the quilt with them. “I think we should talk.”

“We’re talking right now.”

“Don’t be like that. I mean… about the kiss.”

“Kisses.”

“Yeah. Multiple, ha.” Akio propped himself up on his elbows and looked over at Lev. “Did you… like them?”

Levitan lay flat on their back. They looked up at him, then quickly glanced away. “Why?”

“I did,” he said. “They were… nice.” He twisted the sheets in his fingers. He was terrified to admit what he was about to say. “You… uh…”

Levitan looked over at him expectantly. “I?”

“You… you give me butterflies in my stomach, Lev.” He slumped down into the blankets and put his glasses aside. “Make my head dizzy and my heart jump. It’s really… nice.”

Levitan looked surprised by this. Their jaw was slightly slack. “R-really?”

“Yeah. What about…”

Levitan hastily averted their gaze. “I’m not great about talking ‘bout how I feel. ‘Specially when it comes to romance.”

“You don’t have to be good at it, just spit it out.”

“When we flirted and kissed,” they said slowly, trying to articulate their emotions, “it felt… good. No, not just good. Easy? Right?”

“You liked it?”

“Yeah.”

“Me too.” He rolled onto his back. “What should we do about that?”

Levitan gave a small shrug. “If we weren’t running for our lives, I’d take you to the movies and feel you up in the back row of the theatre.”

Akio couldn’t help giggling. “That’s adorable, corny, and pervy at the same time.”

Levitan waggled their eyebrows suggestively. “My specialty.”

Akio laughed loudly. “Oh my god.” He sighed. “Well, this isn’t a movie theatre, but…”

Levitan almost looked a little nervous at what he was about to say. “But…?”

“But maybe we could… pick up where we left off after we left the building, today?” he suggested tentatively.

Levitan smiled, then they hesitated. “I… before we go any further, I wanna ask you something, just so we can save ourselves some heartache.”

“Okay. What is it?”

“What do you want out of… this?” they asked, gesturing at the space between them. “If you’re looking for a hookup then I’m sorry, I don’t ride that way. I can count the number of hookups I’ve had on one hand, and I didn’t enjoy any of them.”

“That’s not the point for me,” said Akio evenly. “Even if we never have sex, I’d still want this.”

“What?” they asked, slightly surprised. “Um… wow. That’s really nice to hear, actually.”

He shrugged. “I have a right hand and a good imagination.”

Levitan chuckled. “Don’t we all? But… so if it’s not a hookup… then what  _ do  _ you want?”

“I wanna try this and see how it goes,” he said. “I’m super confused, if I’m being honest. This is all happening so fast.”

“Holy shit, me too?” they said, floundering slightly. “I mean, it’s been a little over a week, what the hell are we doing?”

“I’ve only dated two people,” he confessed hastily, “and it took me  _ weeks  _ to work up the courage to ask them out.”

“I haven’t been with anyone since before Ryan was born,” they admitted. “I have no idea what the  _ fuck  _ I’m doing.”

“Wanna… just go for it and see how long we can make it without fucking up?” asked Akio. “It could be… fun.”

“Life is hard an’ painful, and for us it’s  _ way  _ too long,” said Levitan. They slid their hand across the blankets to Akio. “Might as well take what we can get, huh?”

“Yeah,” he agreed, watching the hand settle on his waist.

Levitan pulled him in closer so their noses were just barely brushing. It was intimate, and it was romantic. Akio could feel the warmth of their breath, and feel their body against his.

“Is this okay?” they asked, a slight note of nervousness in their voice.

“Yeah,” he mumbled. He closed the distance between them and kissed them sweetly.

Levitan deepened the kiss almost immediately, and Akio let out a soft moan. He wrapped his arms around their neck and tilted his head. Levitan pulled him so they were straddling their hips, and Akio let his elbows rest on the pillow underneath their head.

Lev nipped gently at his lower lip, their hands resting on his hips. Akio kissed them harder, more passionately, and he realized how weird and crazy and beautiful this whole thing was. He’d never felt like this before. He felt dizzy and full of adrenaline, and he rested one hand on Levitan’s chest. He could feel their heart pounding just as hard as his was, and that made him feel giddy to think that they were just as excited and nervous as he was.

He pulled away and smiled, admiring the view. “God, you look good.”

Levitan looked away slightly. They were flushed and slightly sweaty, and they looked happy and embarrassed at the same time. 

“Thanks,” they said quietly.

Akio kissed the bridge of their nose, over their scar. He kissed their cheek and their jaw and their throat, over another old scar.

“Hey,” he said, his mouth still touching their neck. “You should get to be happy, y’know?”

Levitan blinked. “What brought that on?”

“I dunno. I just think you’re pretty great is all.” He kissed the corner of their mouth. “So, is this it? Are we officially a thing?”

“Yeah,” said Levitan, grinning. “I guess we are. Crazy.”

“Yeah. Crazy.”

Levitan rose up onto their elbows to meet him in another kiss. Akio returned it in full, his hands resting on their shoulders, then sliding down to grope their biceps. God, he’d dreamed about doing that. He wanted to explore every inch of their body… someday. For now, this was more than enough.

Lev broke the kiss and yawned. “Goddamn, it’s been a long day.”

“You’re telling me.”

“Big spoon or lil’ spoon?”

Akio frowned. “Excuse me?”

Levitan smiled. “Do you wanna be the big spoon or lil’ spoon?”

“What’s that mean?”

“You know, when you’re cuddling with someone when their back is pressed to your front? The person on the back is the big spoon person on the front is little?”

“I’m still foggy on some American slang,” he admitted. “There’s lots of stuff I don’t know... I think I’d like to be little spoon.”

Levitan shut out the light and pulled Akio down into their arms to cuddle with. Akio chuckled and nestled back into their warmth, pressing himself back into their body as much as he possibly could.

“Goodnight,” said Levitan with a yawn.

“Goodnight,” said Akio.

It was quiet for a few minutes. They could still hear Ryan and Dana talking from the living room, and the sound of Hawke’s mechanical arm whirring as Naomi tried to fix it in the room next to theirs.

“Um… Lev, are you still awake?”

“Mm, barely.” They yawned. “Why?”

“I have a question.”

“Shoot.”

“What’s a “twink”? You called me that a few times and-”

The entire apartment shook when Levitan burst into laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments are loved and will be rewarded with stupid emoticons.


	23. Time to Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mutants are planning the attack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: death mention.

Levitan woke up warm. They rubbed their eyes with their fingers and groaned, stretching their shoulders.

There was a small, sleepy sigh from next to them and they looked down. Akio was still nestled up to them, tucked protectively under their arm. He had one hand resting on their stomach under the covers, and his hair was messy and stuck up on one side.

Levitan chuckled and relaxed back into the blankets. They had no idea what time it was, but they decided that for just a few minutes, they didn’t care.

Akio yawned and shuffled. He opened his eyes and looked up at them. “G’morning.”

“Morning,” they said. “How’d you manage to hang on like that?”

“Like what?”

They yawned a little and scratched an itch on their collar. “Like an octopus. I toss n’ turn all night, usually.”

“I think I woke up once,” he said, shifting so he was next to them properly. Levitan folded their hands over their stomach. “I’m not sure, but I think you were kicking.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

“It’s fine. I gave you a little space and you calmed down after a bit.” He smiled. “Other than that, I slept really well.”

“Yeah, me too.” Levitan hadn’t shared a bed with anyone who wasn’t Ryan in… years and years. They’d missed this type of intimacy.

Akio looked goddamn adorable with his messy hair and sleepy expression. Levitan couldn’t resist leaning in and kissing the corner of his mouth.

Akio grinned and turned his head slightly to catch their lips on his. It was a sweet kiss, and it made Levitan’s heart clench pleasantly. They pulled away reluctantly.

“Aw,” said Akio. “That was nice.”

Levitan hummed in reply. “What time is it?”

Akio groaned as he reached over to switch on the light. He put on his glasses and checked his watch. “Five past eight.”

“Time to get up.” Levitan kicked the covers off and stood. They stretched, their tank top riding up on their stomach. They saw Akio staring at them, his glasses slightly crooked. They raised an eyebrow.

As soon as he realized he’d been caught, Akio looked away quickly and tried to act nonchalant, but he was clearly bashful

“Like whatcha see?” asked Levitan teasingly, scratching their stomach just under their ribcage, very deliberately drawing up their shirt and showing off the muscles in their abdomen.

Akio blushed a little. “... Maybe.”

“Only a maybe?” they asked, unable to stop the silly grin on their face. They pulled fresh clothes from the duffel bag and opened up the closet door. “That’s too bad. Don’t forget to shower, pint-sized. Your hair’s a mess.”

They closed the door on his embarrassed sputtering with a chuckle.

 

Eight of them sat on the hardwood floor in the living room with several large sheets of paper covered in detailed blueprints spread out before them. It was a cloudy day, but light streamed in through the tiny window that led out to the fire escape.

Naomi tinkered with Hawke’s arm while he waited patiently, testing the scope of his eye by holding his hand at different distances. Tanner and Dana were bickering. Ryan was still admiring his nail polish. James scribbled notes on the blueprints. Olivia sat quietly, examining the rubber in the gloves of her hazmat suit. Akio twiddled his thumbs.

The only person who was missing was Lev.

They arrived less than a minute later, with two cups of coffee. They handed one to Akio, who looked very surprised to receive it to the point where his cheeks turned pink, and sat down on the floor next to him.

“We need to decide who’s going to go,” said Levitan. “I ain’t gonna make anybody go. This is voluntary.”

Ryan, Tanner and Dana raised their hands.

“Put your hands down, you’re stayin’ here,” said Levitan.

“ _ What? _ ” said Ryan.

“But we can help!” said Dana. She reached behind her and pulled out her loaded harpoon gun.

Tanner clicked quickly, and Levitan recognized the morse code as “let us help, we want to help!”

“Absolutely not,” said Levitan in the most no-nonsense voice they could muster. “I never take anyone younger than eighteen.”

“ _ I’m seventeen! _ ” said Dana, her voice cracking. She clutched her gun.

“The answer is  _ no. _ I can’t let y’all come along and keep a clear conscience. Anyone else is more than welcome.”

Dana grumbled as she put her gun away again.

Naomi poked her tongue into her cheek and twisted a screw into place on Hawke’s arm. “I’m going to stay here with these three.”

“I’m going,” said Hawke.

Naomi’s eyes went wide. “But-”

“I can help.” Hawke shifted the mechanics of his arm into a functioning hand and clenched his fist. “I don’t want anybody to suffer the way I have.”

“Nobody wants that, but-”

“I’ll be alright,” said Hawke. He smiled just a little.

Naomi rested her head on his shoulder and didn’t say anything.

“I’m going, too,” said James. “I’m forty, now. These bones aren’t going to last for many more escapes, might as well get the most out of me.”

“Don’t talk like that,” said Levitan. “Olivia?”

“I dunno,” she said, her voice soft and muffled. “If my suit ruptures, I could hurt you guys.”

“I can’t die,” said Levitan. “So there’s no need to worry.”

Olivia paused while she absorbed that information once again, turning the full meaning of that over in her head. “ _ Oh. _ ”

Levitan vowed to speak to her separately, later. They turned to Akio.

He set his jaw, still holding the coffee in his hands. “I’m going, too.”

“I appreciate the fact that you were under the illusion you had a choice,” they said.

Akio took a drink of coffee, not making eye contact, and didn’t reply.

“Then it’s settled,” said Levitan with an air of finality. “There will be four of us, two groups of two. One will stand guard while the other will go down into the levels to confront the guards and free the mutants.”

“Alright,” said James. “Sounds solid. I propose that you and Akio go down to the basement, since you’re more likely to encounter guards and security systems down there that we don’t know about, yet. We’ll give you a signal if we hear reinforcements coming or if danger is nearby.”

“What will the signal be?” they asked.

“How about “aah, danger is coming”?” asked Hawke.

A small chuckle went around the group.

“Alright, alright,” said Levitan. They took a long sip of coffee and put it aside. “James, tell me about these blueprints.”

“Floorplan,” he said, passing it over to them. “We’ve got a fairly concise layout of the ground floor, and we believe that the basement can’t be  _ that  _ large simply because there’s a sewer system that runs through here that we have the layout of. It indicates that there  _ is  _ a basement, but it isn’t nearly as expansive at the New York Monsoon.”

Levitan nodded. “Any estimates on the number of mutants in there?”

James gave a small shrug. “Be prepared for any numbers between three and thirty.”

“Jeez.” Levitan pinched the bridge of their nose. “I hate flying blind like this.”

“Maybe we can scope out the place, again?” suggested Ryan.

Levitan shook their head. “No, there’s no time. We have to act. I think that they were suspicious of us, and they might be on high alert.”

“Do you think that they’re in touch with New York Monsoon?” asked Akio with a touch of worry.

“Most likely,” said Levitan, “but I doubt they would have sounded the alarm. We didn’t look  _ too  _ suspicious.”

“But… well, no offense Lev, but you’re a pretty recognizable person. You’re  _ huge _ , blonde, and have a distinct silhouette.”

Levitan gave him a nonplussed look. They took a drink of coffee.

“They might have recognized me, too,” said Akio quickly. “I’m probably considered a missing person.”

“You were wearing makeup. Your disguise was good.” Levitan sighed. “You might be right.”

“Let’s hope I’m not,” said Akio. “In the meantime, we have to act fast. The more time we waste, the more Monsoon will be able to gather its forces… if they know we’re here, that is”

The mood of the circle shifted to something more solemn. Levitan pointed at the blueprint. “James will wait at the front door. Hawke can wait by the top of the stairs. Akio and I will go in. We’ll call you down if we need help carrying people out.”

“Carrying people out?” asked Akio.

Levitan sighed. “Not all mutants are pretty like you an’ me, pint-sized. Some of ‘em can’t survive outside of the institute, some of ‘em can’t maneuver very well on their own. Some of ‘em don’t have legs, some of ‘em are missing vital organs and have to be on life support.”

“But… then taking them out of there would kill them,” said Akio, eyes wide.

“Yeah,” they said. “It would.”

Akio looked shocked. He clenched his coffee mug with both hands. “Isn’t that… doesn’t that make you worse than them?”

The glare that he got from every single member of the group made his spine run cold.

“No,” said Levitan icily. “It  _ doesn’t _ . You’ve never been in there, you wouldn’t know what it’s like.”

“Death is  _ preferable, _ ” said James, his voice sounding hollow.

“I-I’m so sorry,” said Akio. “I-I didn’t know, d-didn’t think.”

“Of course you didn’t  _ think, _ ” said Naomi, slamming all four of her fists down onto the floor. “You used to  _ work  _ for those  _ bastards! _ ”

“I didn’t know!” he protested. “I didn’t know they did those terrible things!”

Levitan gave him a cold look. “You  _ did  _ know.” They looked away slightly, then sighed. “Things are different now, but don’t pretend that you were completely ignorant. I saw you in there. You spoke to me.”

Akio looked deeply ashamed. “I… I’m sorry. That doesn’t mean much, but-”

“No,” said Naomi, “It doesn’t.”

Akio put his coffee aside and kept his mouth shut.

“That’s enough of that,” said Levitan. “This ain’t the time or place to debate the ethics of the past. Right now, we gotta concentrate our efforts on this plan.”

“When do you wanna strike?” asked James tentatively.

“Tonight.”

“ _ What? _ ” said Hawke loudly. “ _ Tonight? _ We’re nowhere  _ near  _ prepared enough to-”

“I know,” said Levitan. “You don’t have to come.”

“To hell with that!” he snapped. “Are you really willing to throw away your freedom so quick? You just got outta there!”

Levitan sighed and ran their hand through their hair. “We might not have another opportunity like this for a long time. If we wait, they may have a chance to sound the alarm.”

“If we wait,” he said, “they might forget about the incident and relax on security.”

“If we wait, they might find this place.”

“They can’t…” said Olivia.

“You all know this,” said Levitan, “But you might need reminding. We’re a bunch’a unlucky souls. Any scrap of happiness we have, we have to fight tooth n’ nail for. We’ve earned our freedom, or been lucky enough to happen upon it, and it’s our duty to fight for the others like us. I dunno about y’all, but I can’t stand the idea of me bein’ free when there are others who aren’t. This might be our last chance to help these people for a real long time. I ain’t ‘bout to squander that opportunity.”

Hawke sighed. “But what good is this if we just get captured?”

“What if this plan goes tits up?” asked Naomi challengingly. “What if you get captured again? What if all of us do? By coming here, you’ve endangered us! We were  _ fine  _ before you came here!”

“Naomi, that’s enough,” said James.

“Is it?” Naomi clenched all four fists. “I lived in Monsoon Austin from when I was a baby to when I was twenty!  _ Twenty years!  _ I-I’m  _ never  _ going back!” She couldn’t keep the waver of fear out of her voice. “I remember the first time I saw the sun. I remember the first time I heard music. I remember the first time I put on clothes that weren’t a white jumpsuit.” She swallowed. “They stole so much time from me. They brought me into this world as a freak, and I’m  _ not  _ giving them any more of me!”

“I’m not asking you to,” said Levitan.

“I didn’t  _ ask  _ you to come here, either!” snapped Naomi. She pointed at them with two of her hands. “You’re wanted! You’ve got a price on your head! They’re looking for you everywhere! You could have led them right to us!”

Levitan sighed and let their shoulders slump. “I apologize. I didn’t consider that. But you put up the sparrow, that means  _ all  _ mutants are welcome.”

“That’s the code, Naomi,” said James. “It’s one we’ve abided by for a long time. We can’t go back on it, now.”

“Maybe we should abandon this plan,” said Naomi. “They’re looking for you, it’s-”

“You can leave,” said Levitan. “Leave town, stay somewhere safe. Take the kids, cross the border.”

Naomi gave her a plaintive look. She gestured to the apartment. “This is the first home I’ve ever known. I don’t… I don’t wanna leave it.”

“I haven’t had a home that I’ve lived in longer than five years since I was a child,” said Levitan. “We live a nomadic lifestyle. It’s a hard truth.”

“But-”

“People like us,” said Levitan, “don’t get to live normal lives.  _ Ever.  _ At all. Never. We don’t get careers, we don’t get domesticity, and we don’t get homes. Even though it’s a million times better for us, the world doesn’t get any  _ easier  _ when we break out of Monsoon.”

Naomi bristled. “I  _ never  _ said-”

“The point is,” said Levitan. “It’s too late. You’re right. I may have led Monsoon here. That’s something I can’t undo. I say that you hide out here until the fuss is over. We’re gonna regroup, bring the other mutants back here and hide while they’re lookin’ for us. Then, we’re gonna leave town. Understood?”

Naomi nodded. She looked like she was trying not to cry.

Levitan sighed. “This ain’t gonna be easy.”

“It never is,” said James.

“What should  _ we  _ do while you guys are out risking your necks?” asked Dana.

“Get ready to leave,” said Levitan. “Gather weapons. Stay safe, listen to the police scanner. Listen for the sirens.”

“So that’s it?” asked Ryan angrily. “We sit still, shut up, and pray?”

“I think you’ll find,” said Levitan testily, “That I didn’t say  _ any  _ o’ that.”

Tanner clicked his tongue and said “ _ couldn’t we be lookouts? _ ”

“No,” replied Levitan. They picked up their coffee cup. “I don’t want y’all anywhere near the action. Ryan, you helped with the stakeout. You did more n’ your fair share, and when you’re older I’ll  _ think  _ about bringin’ you along.”

“But I can  _ help! _ ” he cried, slamming his hands down onto the floor. “If it wasn’t for me, you’d still be stuck in Monsoon New York! Nobody here can use a computer like me, what if you need somebody to hack into the security systems? Who’s gonna get the doors open for you? I can’t die, either! Why can’t I come?”

“That’s not true!” said Levitan. “You’ve died once, but we don’t know what your limitations are!”

“But-”

“But what if you can’t come back from brain injuries?” they asked, voice rising in volume. “What if they take you? I can’t risk that, Ryan.”

Ryan looked like he could barely contain his anger. “Lev, you’re not-”

“ _ Ryan,  _ listen to me, you’re not-”

“- _ listening!  _ I can help, you just-”

“-I  _ won’t  _ risk your freedom, you’re too young-”

“-I’ve helped before, I can help again! You just need to-”

“-I won’t let you-”

“-Lev, I-”

“ _ I ain’t ‘bout to watch my son take a bullet to the brain when I could’ve prevented it! _ ” shouted Levitan at last. The coffee mug shattered in their grip.

Ryan growled. “I’m not a  _ baby. _ I’ll be  _ fine.  _ Pray tell, how’re you gonna get past the locked doors without me?”

Levitan picked the ceramic shards out of their palm. Coffee dripped down their hand onto the floor. “I’ll think o’ somethin’.”

Ryan glared at them. “That’s not an answer. You  _ need  _ me.”

“My answer is  _ no.  _ That’s  _ final. _ ”

Ryan huffed and folded his arms. He refused to look at them.

Levitan sighed. They leaned back and let their shoulders relax. “Anyone  _ else  _ got beef with me, today?”

The group was quiet. Hardly anyone dared to breathe. They could hear traffic outside and the sound of people fighting in the building across from them.

“Good,” said Levitan. They clapped their hands. “Let’s break. When it starts to get dark, the four o’ us will go.” They stood. “Anybody got a towel to clean up the coffee?”

“In the kitchen,” said Naomi. She stood and sat on the couch. The group began to disperse, Hawke went to sit with Naomi, the three teenagers went off to sit on the fire escape, Olivia went back to her room, and James gathered up the plans and blueprints.

Levitan sighed and walked into the kitchen to get the paper towels. They checked a few cupboards before they found the roll.

“Hey.”

Levitan turned. Akio stood behind them, hands still wrapped around his empty cup of coffee. He stepped closer and put the mug in the sink.

“Hi,” they said, leaning against the counter.

“Are you… okay?” he asked tentatively.

They shrugged. “I was hoping not to start a war, but most meetings tend to go like that.”

“Oh?”

“People who fall on hard times tend to be very…  _ opinionated  _ about their morals.” They pulled off a few sheets from the roll and replaced it.

“I’m sorry I said more stupid shit,” said Akio. “I just… I don’t want anybody to die.”

“I know. Neither do I.” They folded the paper towels up into a neat square. They walked out into the living room to pick up the shards and wipe up the spill.

Akio followed after them, holding a broom and dustpan. He stood waiting while Levitan mopped up the spill.

“Thanks,” they said as he swept up the broken bits of mug. “I don’t always know my own strength.”

“You’re usually very gentle,” said Akio.

“Now is  _ not  _ the time to flirt.”

Akio chuckled. “I hadn’t meant it like that.”

Levitan stood and dusted off their knees. Akio took the dustpan into the kitchen to dispose of the shards in the garbage, and Levitan followed in after to sit at the kitchen table. They let out an exasperated sigh before taking a seat.

“Naomi did bring up a good point, though,” said Akio, leaning the broom in the corner. “What if one of us gets captured?”

“I… I don’t know.” Levitan hated admitting that. “We’ll do what we can. If it’s me, I don’t want anyone to come after me.”

“W-why not?”

“I’m not worth it. I’ve got a long life ahead of me. I can stand a few more years in Monsoon.”

“But you said-”

“If I get captured,” said Levitan slowly. “I  _ forbid  _ you from coming after me. I’ll be fine.”

Akio sat down next to them. “Okay. Then you have to promise the same thing for me.”

Levitan gave him a hard look. “That ain’t gonna happen, not so long as I have a say.”

“But if it does,” he said, “I don’t want you to get caught again. I’d… I’d rather stay in Monsoon than have you stuck in there with me.”

Levitan was slightly taken aback by this. They remembered when his first priority was saving his own skin. When had that ignorant little prick become the man that sat before them, now?

It gave Levitan a little bit of hope. If he can change for the better, maybe they can, too.

“That’s very noble, pint-sized,” said Levitan. “But we shouldn’t talk like this. Bad luck.” They tapped their knuckles on the wooden table. “Touch wood.”

“Right,” he said with a nervous laugh. “Right. I’m sorry. No point in planning for failure.” He drummed his fingers on the table. “Are you… gonna give me a gun?”

“Haven’t decided,” said Levitan. “Guess it depends.”

“On what?”

Levitan gave a small smile. “Depends on whether you can convince me you’ve earned it.”

Levitan’s smile made Akio blush up to his ears. “I might be able to make a good argument.”

“Have you ever even  _ touched  _ a gun before?”

“I… no?”

“You’re not off to a very good start.”

 

It was late afternoon. They had a few hours left. Levitan was standing just inside Olivia’s room.

Olivia sat in an elaborate containment unit that had clearly been stolen from Monsoon, although Levitan hadn’t any clue how they’d managed to get the pieces up to the hideout in secret. The plastic walls were splattered with yellow warning signs about radioactivity, and the Monsoon logo stood bright and white on the zippered door.

Levitan took off their jacket, their boots, and their socks, and set them aside. They had a fresh set of clothes to don after being exposed to the radioactivity. 

Olivia lay on her bed with her back to Levitan, reading a book. She sat bolt upright when she heard the zippering of the plastic door.

“What’re you doing?” asked Olivia, alarmed. She wasn’t wearing her hazmat suit, her blue striped pyjamas were all she had on. Her skin was silver and it shimmered in the soft orange light of her lamp. She had no hair, no eyebrows or eyelashes. Her eyes glowed just a little bit.

“Sorry, should’a asked.” Levitan zipped the first door shut behind them. “Am I intruding?”

“I… no, I suppose not.” Olivia crossed her legs. “You  _ sure  _ you can’t die?”

Levitan chuckled. “Pretty positive.” She unzipped the second door and stepped inside, closing it behind them. “How’re you?”

“Good,” she said, still sounding amazed.

“Alright if I sit down?”

“G-go for it.”

Levitan sat next to her on the bed. They reached into their pocket and pulled out a deck of cards. “Wanna play?”

“Okay,” she said, smiling.

Levitan pulled their feet up onto the bed. “Go fish?”

“Sure.”

Levitan dealt seven cards each. “I’m not gonna ask you to come along,” they said, pulling a pair out of their hand and setting it aside. “I just want you to be prepared for the worst.”

“The… worst?” Olivia asked, eyes wide. “Which would be what?”

“Dunno. Us failing, getting captured. This place being found. Got any twos?”

“Go fish.”

Levitan drew a card. “Your turn.”

“Um… do you have any kings?”

“Shucks.” They handed over a card.

Olivia took the card and set the pair aside. She looked at Levitan, silver eyes wide and afraid. “You don’t think that’s gonna happen, do you?”

Levitan shrugged. “I don’t like makin’ promises I can’ keep.”

“I’m just asking your opinion.”

“I… I honestly don’t know,” they said. “Got any fives?”

“Go fish.” Olivia tapped her fingers against her knee. She didn’t have any fingernails. “L-Lev?”

“Yeah?” they asked as they pulled two cards from the deck.

“Can I… touch you?” she asked in a small voice.

Levitan held out their hand.

Olivia tentatively reached out and took it. She smiled.

“Maybe cards is a bad idea,” said Levitan. “Why don’cha tell me ‘bout what you’re readin’?”

“Oh,” said Olivia, slightly disappointed.

“Yeah,” said Levitan casually. “You could tell me about it, and I’ll lie next to you.”

“Oh,” she said, sounding pleasantly surprised as she put the pieces together in her head. “I, um, sure!”

Levitan cleaned up the cards and stowed them away in the pack. They set them aside, and settled down next to Olivia on the bed. Olivia lay next to them, her back pressed to their front, and picked up the book.

“Ever read Lord of the Rings?” she asked.

“Mm, no I haven’t. Seen one of the movies. Why don’cha tell me about it?” Levitan wrapped their arms around her waist and pulled her close.

Levitan couldn’t see Olivia’s expression, but they could hear the smile in her voice as she started to explain the details of the book.

 

It was getting late. It was time to leave.

Levitan finally pulled themself away from Olivia. “I have to go.” They stood and stretched their back, wincing when it popped. “Damn.”

“Oh,” she said quietly as she sat up. “You’ll be back, right?”

Levitan smiled and lightly pinched her cheek. “Probably. Remember what I said ‘bout promises.”

“Yeah,” she said wistfully.

Levitan glanced down at their arm and saw the rash that they had from coming in contact with Olivia’s radiation. They tried not to draw attention to it. It would heal over once they left.

“Stay safe,” said Levitan, their hand lingering on Olivia’s chin. “Before I go, is it alright if I give you somethin’?”

Olivia looked slightly wary. “Um… yeah?”

Levitan cupped her jaw, leaned down, and pressed their lips to Olivia’s. It was gentle and chaste. They could feel her gasp slightly. Olivia didn’t move aside from tentatively returning the pressure.

Levitan pulled away. Their mouth and jaw tingled. Olivia looked overcome with emotion.

“Thanks,” she said, looking away slightly.

“Everybody deserves to feel loved,” said Levitan, hands in their pockets. “You  _ are  _ loved, but affection is also important.”

“Th-thank you, Lev,” she said. “I never thought I would ever get that.”

“It’s a pleasure.” Levitan looked at the clock she had on the wall. “I have to leave.”

“I understand,” said Olivia. She sat on the bed with folded legs.

Levitan gave a little wave as they walked towards the zippered door to begin decontamination. “Until next time.”

“Wait, Lev?”

“Mm?” They paused, hand on the zipper. “Yeah?”

“You’re a good person,” said Olivia. Her fingers were touching her lips. “Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

Levitan chuckled. “I think I’m just a person who sometimes does good and sometimes does bad. But… thank you. That means a whole lot to me.”

“You deserve better.”

No, they didn’t. “So do you. Bye.”

“Bye.”

They unzipped the door.

 

“Are you three ready?” asked Levitan. They were wearing a fresh set of clothes and had their jacket back on their shoulders.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” said Hawke. Naomi was doing some last minute tune-ups on his arm, and he was making sure every cog and sprocket was in working order.

“Be careful,” said Naomi.

“I will,” said Hawke.

She stood on tiptoe and pressed a kiss to his cheek before wrapping her arms around him. “Come home safe.”

“I’ll do my best.”

James opened his gun and counted his bullets, leaning against the living room couch. “Been awhile since we’ve done anything like this, huh?”

“Yeah, since before Ryan was born.” Levitan shoved extra ammo into their pockets.

“Last time I saw you, he was three.” James chuckled. “I remember that he was crawling all over you, and you just held out your arm and let him hang there while he laughed and swung back and forth.”

“Yup,” they said with a smile. “That was ‘round when I started to get my biceps back.”

Akio did not have a gun. He had a baseball bat and a knife, and that was all he really wanted, anyway. He stood quietly next to Levitan, flicking open and shut the knife they’d given him a while ago.

It felt like they’d met months ago. How had it only been a few days?

“You look pale, pint-sized.”

Akio looked up at Levitan. “I’m okay.”

They laid a heavy hand on his shoulder. “This is gonna be scary, I ain’t gonna lie. But I’ll do everythin’ in my power to protect you, okay?”

Akio nodded, lips tight, and looked down. “Okay.”

“Deep breaths.” They tilted his chin up. “I ain’t gonna ask you to relax, but take a deep breath.”

Akio closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and exhaled. While his eyes were closed, he felt Levitan’s lips on his. He let out a soft noise of surprise and rose up onto his tiptoes to add pressure to the kiss. Levitan’s lips parted just slightly, but didn’t allow for any more than that when they felt the eyes of the others watching the two of them. When Levitan broke it, they rested their forehead against his.

“Everything’s gonna be alright, okay?” they said, taking his hand and holding it to their chest with both of theirs.

“I believe you,” he said. “Lev?”

“Mm?”

“I’m glad I met you.”

“... I’m glad I met you, too.”

“Ready to go?” asked James.

“Ready,” they replied, pulling away reluctantly. “Where’s Ryan?”

“He’s pouting,” said Naomi, jabbing a thumb towards the kitchen. “Nobody can talk any sense into him. He’s still furious at you.”

Levitan sighed and walked into the kitchen. Ryan was sitting at the table alone, eating a bowl of cereal.

“Hey,” they said, leaning against the doorway. “Wish me luck.”

He viciously stabbed his spoon into the cornflakes. “Good luck. Asshole.”

“You’re my son and I love you, but you’re actin’ like a shithead.” Levitan crossed the kitchen in a few steps. “Stay safe, okay?”

Ryan glanced up at them. “I wanna help.”

“I know. But… you’re my  _ son.  _ Please try an’ understand, Squirt. I want you to be safe. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if anythin’ happened to you.” They leaned down and pressed a kiss to his black curls. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

Ryan gave them a tight-lipped smile. “Good luck. Really.”

They took a step towards the door. “We need it.”

“Lev?”

They paused at the doorway. “Yeah?”

“Be careful,” he said, looking back down at the cereal bowl. “I don’t wanna lose you again.”

Levitan gave him a nod. “I will. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

Levitan was gone. Ryan could hear them talking in low voices about the plan in the next room, and he could hear them climbing out the window onto the fire escape.

He looked at the clock on the wall. It was 11:50. 

Ryan counted the minutes. He finished his cereal and put his empty bowl in the sink. He looked at the clock again. 11:55.

He peeked into the living room. It was empty. Naomi was in the room she shared with Hawke, Dana and Tanner were in their shared room.

“Finally.” 

Ryan went into Lev and Akio’s closet to find the duffel bag. He pulled out his tools -- screwdriver, wire cutters, a wrench -- and shoved them into a small backpack. He didn’t have a gun, and Akio had been given the steel bat, but he had a tire iron and a good knife. He packed up his computer parts and added them to his bag. He pulled on his rain jacket, even though it was a warm night. It made him feel safe.

Ryan slipped out the window onto the fire escape. Nobody saw him leave. It was a quiet night, and the air smelled slightly stale from the alley below.

He left the gameboy on the couch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	24. They're Coming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They break into Monsoon. Some things go right, some things go very, very wrong. This chapter has ZERO chill so just. hang in there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: blood, violence, character death.

Akio’s knees were shaking. He gripped the baseball bat in two sweaty hands as he followed behind Levitan. The four of them walked in silence through the dark alleyway. They were getting close to Monsoon.

He kept his mouth shut because he was afraid that if he opened it, he would throw up. He was so close to Levitan, his face was inches from their back. This meant that he bumped right into them when they stopped abruptly.

“Y’all ready?” they asked, looking back at the three of them over their shoulder.

James and Hawke both nodded, and Akio made a slight whimper.

Levitan turned away and the four of them stepped out of the alley and onto the sidewalk. The white letters of Monsoon glowed in the darkness. Underneath, in smaller letters, it read “ _ For the Good of Mankind _ ”.

Akio’s heart pounded in his chest as they walked up to the building. A million things could go wrong. They weren’t well prepared. They didn’t have enough ammo. They were going to get caught. This was a mistake.

Thinking back to when Akio had been sitting in that hole in Pennsylvania, he began to wonder whether this was all worth it.

Levitan slowed their pace so Akio was walking beside them. “You okay?”

He shook his head.

“Hey,” they said softly. They put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “We’ll be okay.”

Akio gave a small sigh. “Really?”

“Yeah. Really.” They leaned in and put a kiss on his cheek. Their lips were chapped but gentle and warm. The kiss made Akios’ heart stutter.

… Yeah. This was worth it.

They were on the steps of the building. Hawke shouldered his way forward, his hand shifting into a very sharp, heated blade. He stepped up to the window on the door, and with some effort he pushed the blade through the thick glass. He grunted as the blade screeched its way through the glass.

James had his shirt unbuttoned. He kept his eyes trained on the empty street. He remained perfectly motionless.

“ _ There! _ ” Hawke pulled the pane of glass from the door and set it carefully aside. “In we go.”

“After you,” said Levitan.

Hawke hoisted himself up and through the door. They heard a smashing sound, and Hawke’s voice saying, “ _ Fucking video cameras. _ ”

“Need a hand?” asked Levitan.

“Yeah,” said Akio.

Levitan lifted him up with what looked like very little effort and helped him climb through the window. Akio gently let his feet touch the floor, trying to make as little noise as possible.

Levitan heaved themself through the window. Their boots thudded on the floor with enough force to make the boards creak.

“Stay safe,” said Levitan.

James nodded. He folded his arms and leaned against the doorway, keeping careful watch.

“Let’s go.” 

Levitan set out through the quiet offices, towards the back of the building. Hawke and Akio followed along behind, tiptoeing and looking out for alarm systems. It was eerily quiet, except for the sounds of their footsteps and their laboured breathing.

They came up to the metal door that led down to the basement. It was locked. There was a keypad next to it that required card access. It had a tiny display screen that read “LOCKED” in red LED letters.

“Shit,” said Levitan. They ran through the options in their head, between punching it to see what happens and going into the offices to find cards to swipe.

Shockingly, before they could make a decision, the little screen fizzled. The red letters turned green and read “UNLOCKED”, and the door hissed as it swung open.

Levitan’s heart turned cold. They clenched their fists and muttered through their teeth, “ _ Ryan. _ ”

“He’s here?” asked Hawke, a touch alarmed.

“Fuck,” muttered Levitan. “Little shithead.”

“Should we go find him?” asked Akio.

Levitan shook their head. “No. There’s no time. We have to go.” They pulled the door open the rest of the way. “I’ll whoop his ass, later. Hawke, stand guard.”

“You got it, boss.”

Levitan’s boots thudded as they descended the steps. Akio followed behind, still clutching onto his baseball bat. He’d never been more terrified in his whole life.

There was another door, but it also swung open easily. Levitan’s hands were shaking in anger and fear, but there was nothing they could do. They had to press onward.

The basement of Monsoon LA looked very similar to the lower levels of the New York branch. White tiled floors, white ceilings, fluorescent lights, and rows of locked doors.

They could hear voices talking in murmurs, and the sounds of footsteps. Night guards, and scientists working late. Levitan reached for the gun on their hip and took the safety off with their thumb.

Akio followed along behind, baseball bat at the ready. 

A scientist came down the hall and walked past them as they hid behind an adjoining wall. Before he could see either of them, Levitan had seized him, a hand over his mouth, and had swiftly snapped his neck with their bare hands.

Akio made a pained sound.

“Shh,” said Levitan. “Now ain’t the time for ethics.” They took the keycard from his lanyard. “We have a job to do, and to hell with anyone who’s gonna try an’ stop us.”

“But-”

“ _ Shh. _ ”

Akio closed his mouth. Levitan turned and started

They came upon the first door that had somebody in it.

Through the tiny window, they could see a woman. She lay on the cot in the empty room, her back to the door.

Levitan tapped their knuckle on the window.

The woman bolted upright, and whipped around to stare at them. She was tall and thin, with narrow shoulders and hair buzzed to her scalp. Her skin was strange and patchy, scales covered her jaw, her forearms were covered in soft fur, and Levitan thought they saw feathers protruding from under the collar of her shirt.

Her jaw slackened when she saw Levitan. She leapt to her feet, wincing slightly in pain, dashed across the room, and pressed her hands to the glass. Her eyes had no pupils.

Levitan swiped the access card through the reader. With a little beep, the door unlatched with a click and Levitan pulled it open.

The woman stepped out of her cell. She still hadn’t closed her mouth.

“Keep quiet,” said Levitan. “My name is Levitan Reeves. We’re gettin’ y’all outta here.”

The woman clapped a hand to her mouth. Her nails were blunt and curved into points. “ _ Holy shit, it’s really you! _ ”

Levitan pointed back. “Go straight and up the stairs. There’s a man up there named Hawke. He’ll take care o’ you.”

The woman nodded, a huge grin spreading across her face. She slipped down the hallway and up the staircase.

“One down,” said Levitan. “Means it’s already worth it.”

Akio nodded, tight-lipped. They continued down the hallway.

They ducked under a few windows that led into laboratories. They heard the screeching sound of metal being cut, and people shouting over the sound of machinery.

The next room appeared to be… empty.

“We need to keep moving,” whispered Akio.

“Wait.” Levitan tapped on the window.

There was a flash of movement. The air was disturbed. It twisted and shimmered as if a current had passed through water.

A man materialized right in front of the window. Akio let out a small noise and jumped backwards.

Levitan swiped the card through the reader again and opened the door.

“W-who’re you?” he asked. He had black hair and tanned skin. His forearms were covered in sickly spots that looked like injection sites for chemicals.

“I’m Levitan Reeves,” they replied. “Go straight along the hallway and up the stairs. There’s a man named Hawke at the top. He’ll help you.”

He seemed to be in shock. He couldn’t move.

Levitan let out a breath and took his arm. “We need to get you outta here, kid. Let’s move.”

He reluctantly stepped forwards.

“Here.” Levitan handed Akio the access card. “I’m gonna get him up the stairs. See if you can’t free anybody else.”

“ _ What? _ I-I don’t wanna be alone!”

“Shh! Jesus, keep your voice down.” Levitan gripped the man’s arm gently but firmly. “Keep going straight. I’ll find you.”

Akio watched as Levitan crept down the hallway with the man in tow. His image flickered and disappeared briefly. They appeared to be walking alone.

Akio was shaking. He swallowed hard and turned to look down the hall. There were a few more doors, then the hallway turned left.

His footsteps sounded thunderous to him. He walked past another door, and through the window he glimpsed whiteboards covered in numbers and diagrams. They looked all-too similar to his own laboratory back in New York.

He came upon another door. There was a loud snarl and a bang against the door, and he reeled back, baseball bat at the ready.

A tingle of horror went up Akio’s spine when he saw what was behind the glass. It appeared to be vaguely humanoid. It was bipedal, and its pale skin was stretched over its seemingly emaciated skeleton. Strange spines protruded from its back. Thick ropes of saliva hung from its distended jaws.

Akio held his baseball bat in one hand, his knife at the ready in the other. He was instructed to free the mutants, and that’s what he planned to do. With a shaking hand, he swiped the card through the reader.

With a screech, the mutant burst through the door, sending Akio stumbling backwards. The bat skittered from his grip, and the mutant flung itself at Akio, its claws digging into his shoulders. He barely held back his shriek of pain, tears running down his cheeks. The mutant -- no, monster -- sank its fangs into the base of Akio’s neck. Akio screamed behind closed lips and he wildly slashed out with the knife.

It plunged into the throat of the mutant. Black blood spurted from under Akio’s hand, and he dug the knife in deeper. With a gurgle, the monster’s grip on him slackened, its teeth were pulled from his flesh, and it crumpled to the ground.

Akio stood over the corpse, panting heavily. Blood ran down his front, black and red. He felt dizzy and lightheaded, and like he was going to throw up.

“...  _ What did you do? _ ”

Levitan looked horrified, eyes wide, jaw slack. They took in the blood and the body of the mutant.

“I-it attacked me,” he said, clamping a hand over his neck to staunch the flow of blood. “I-I just… I’m sorry, I just-”

“Be  _ careful! _ ” they whispered, taking his face in their hands. They planted a kiss on his cheek, just under his eye. “We can’t get caught. Help me hide the body.”

Akio picked up his baseball bat. “O-okay… I shouldn’t have opened it.”

“No,” said Levitan, taking one arm of the mutant to drag the corpse back into the room. “It’s alright. I would’a done the same thing, except with a gun.”

Akio swallowed hard. He took the other arm of the mutant. Its skin was cold and clammy under his hand.

They closed the door, locking the corpse into the cell, and proceeded on to the next room. Akio swiped the card through the reader. Levitan opened the door.

Akio’s breath was sucked from his chest when he saw the thing that was lying on the bed. It looked… human. Somewhat. Greenery twisted down from where its torso ought to be. Its head was misshapen and lumpy. Its chest heaved with its laboured breathing. A machine beside it beeped in time with its heartbeat.

Akio was too afraid to approach it. Levitan stepped forwards.

“Hello,” they said quietly.

The mutant turned its head. Its eyes were wide. “Who… are… you…?”

“My name is Levitan Reeves,” they said.

The mutant didn’t say a word. It let out a quiet wheeze.

“Can you move?”

“No… I am… unable to leave…” It wheezed again as it inhaled. “I need… these machines… to live…”

“Would you like me to leave you be?”

“... I… I don’t like this life…”

“I can make it go away,” they said soothingly, resting a gentle hand on its chest. “Would you like that?”

“... Yes… I’m done… I want to rest…”

Levitan nodded. They turned to the machinery and began to disconnect the systems. Something about the fluidity and ease of their movements made Akio think that maybe they’d done this before.

The heart monitor stilled when it was disconnected.

The mutant closed its eyes and let out a long sigh.

It didn’t move any further.

Levitan’s shoulders slumped and they hung their head. “They didn’t even make it long ‘nough to breathe fresh air.”

Akio followed Levitan as they left the room. His feet dragged as he walked behind them.

 

Ryan sat cross legged, his back against the cold brick of the building. The laptop sat balanced on his knees. It was a bit nicer, he’d stolen it from a storefront window and had popped the back off to add the parts needed to hack into the security systems. Right now, he was just watching from afar. Levitan and Akio were doing perfectly well without him for the moment, but he was ready to jump in at a moment’s notice.

He was tense, muscles coiled. His backpack leaned against his hip.

In the distance, he heard sirens. Not unusual for a big city. It happens.

He was still  _ seething  _ about his argument with Levitan. Why didn’t they  _ trust  _ him? He wasn’t a stupid kid! He could handle this! His fingers hit the keys a little bit too hard as he disengaged security systems for them.

The sirens were approaching. They started to get louder.

Ryan quickly flipped through the security cameras, and his heart froze when he came across one screen.

A group of scientists were standing around a corpse that was also wearing a white labcoat. The neck was twisted at a horrible angle, and they all appeared to be talking together, heads bowed. One of them was on a phone.

They’d been found out.

Ryan’s fingers flew across the keyboard as he tried to think of some way to warn them. There were speaker systems, but they would sound throughout the entire facility. At this point, did it really matter? They had to get out of there!

The sirens were getting louder. He flipped back to another camera to watch Levitan and Akio tiptoe through the facility and open another door.

He desperately tried to gain access to the doors, but they simply weren’t online. They were on a different system. They were going to have to run. There was nothing he could do to hurry the process.

The sirens got louder. They were less than a mile away.

Throwing caution to the wind, Ryan connected to the speaker system. He adjusted the mic on his headphones and puffed into it to see if it was working.

Levitan and Akio’s heads snapped upwards towards the speaker system at the sound of his breath.

“You guys gotta get outta there!” he shouted. “They’re coming! Mayday, mayday! They’re coming!”

He could hear his own voice echoing from the building. Onscreen, he saw the two of them start to run. The sirens were closing in.

“ _ Mayday, mayday! _ ” he cried. “ _ They’re coming! _ ”

 

Naomi couldn’t find Ryan  _ anywhere _ . She was scratching her head over this mystery, but she was beginning to get worried.

Dana and Tanner sat on the couch, playing on the gameboy.

“Hey,” said Naomi. “Either of you seen Ryan?”

Neither of them replied.

“Well?” she pressed.

“He’s probably letting off steam,” said Dana, but she didn’t sound too sure. Tanner clicked his tongue in assent.

“Where?”

“Dunno.”

Naomi poked her tongue into her cheek. “Hmm.” She looked over at the wall where his backpack of computer parts had been, before.

It was gone.

She felt sick.

“Oh god.”

Dana and Tanner looked up at her. She snapped them a fearsome glare and said, “ _ He’s gone, isn’t he? _ ”

Dana and Tanner shared a glance, then Dana heaved a heavy sigh. “Yes.”

“ _ Fuck! _ ” Naomi kicked the couch, making Tanner jump and click in surprise. “Sunnova  _ bitch!  _ Levitan’s gonna  _ kill  _ me!”

There were sirens in the distance. They were getting louder.

Naomi rubbed her eyes. “ _ I can’t believe that brat! _ ”

“He’s doing what’s right,” said Dana, setting her jaw firmly. She stood, arms folded, and squared off with Naomi. “He’s  _ helping  _ them. He has skills that none of them have.”

“Not the point! He’s a kid, so’re you! Did he  _ tell  _ you he was gonna do this?”

“Yes,” she replied.

“I could  _ strangle  _ you!”

“Go ahead, you got ‘nough hands to do it.”

The sirens were close. There was a bang downstairs.

The three of them froze. They heard shouts from downstairs, and the sounds of pounding footsteps climbing the apartment building.

“Is that…” said Dana, a note of fear in her voice.

Naomi’s eyes were wide. She scrambled across the room for her gun. “ _ Shit!  _ Everybody, grab your things!  _ We have to run! _ ”

“What?” Olivia shuffled into the room, wearing her hazmat suit.

“ _ They’re coming! _ ” cried Dana, seizing her bag and shoving clothes into it. “Oh god, they probably have the building surrounded!” 

Tanner ran into Levitan and Akio’s closet and grabbed their duffel bag, then dashed into the kitchen to pack it full of food. “ _ What’re we gonna do? _ ” clicked Tanner, his enormous eyes conveying his terror.

“We’re gonna stick together,” said Naomi, loading her gun. “You kids get out the window.”

“You too,” said Olivia. “I’ll pick up the rear!”

Naomi shook her head firmly. “No, I-”

“ _ My suit’s too big! _ ” she cried. “ _ What if I get stuck?! _ ”

Naomi conceded. “I’ll help pull you through on my end!”

“Okay!”

“You kids get out the window!” shouted Naomi. The footsteps were pounding up the stairs and down the hall, getting closer and closer.

Tanner was out the window, followed by Dana. Naomi pitched the bags out, praying that they wouldn’t suffer  _ too  _ much damage by being thrown off a building. The kids were already scrambling down the ladder.

The two of them jumped when something loud collided with the door.

“ _ Open up! _ ” demanded a loud voice.

Something heavy banged against the door again.

“You first!” said Olivia, pushing Naomi towards the door with her clumsy gloves.

“Okay, okay!” Naomi climbed through and out onto the fire escape.

Olivia slammed the window shut and locked it behind her.

“ _ No! _ ” Naomi pounded her fists on the window.

Olivia moved her hands to her helmet. “ _ Run! _ ”

Understanding dawned in Naomi’s eyes. She pressed a kiss to her fingers and pressed her hand to the window.

The door burst open with enough energy to send splinters flying.

Naomi scrambled down the fire escape as fast as her feet could take her, tears rolling down her cheeks. The kids were already safely on the ground. They had to get away from the building.

In the apartment, Olivia stood with her helmet under her arm. Ten guns were levelled with her head.

She was not afraid.

“ _ Hands in the air, mutant! _ ” said one of the men in riot gear.

She clenched her fists. Her skin glowed black. She bared her teeth.

“ _ I’M NOT AFRAID OF YOU! _ ” she roared, throwing her helmet at the man who had spoken.

Five men fired at her when she did this. Three bullets penetrated her. As soon as they did, all of the radioactive energy that was pent up inside her blood culminated. Her body overheated.

It was a nuclear meltdown.

The top floor of the apartment exploded. Fire licked up into the night sky.

Naomi, Dana, and Tanner watched from the ground in horror. Dana screamed, Tanner’s hands shot to his face, and Naomi didn’t move. She couldn’t move. She had to get the three of them to the agreed-upon safe house, but her feet were rooted to the concrete of the alleyway.

She watched her home burn.

Olivia had known this would happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's late and I have to be up early tomorrow, so this isn't very carefully edited. oh well.
> 
> comments give me LIFE so bring 'em on!


	25. One of Them

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Monsoon has found them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: blood, violence, body horror. It's really late so I didn't bother to edit this super carefully. I'm not at all happy with the fight scene but I'm so close to finishing this crap off so I'm just getting the plot out and done with. The end approaches.

“ _ Mayday, mayday! They’re coming! _ ”

Ryan’s voice echoed around the facility, booming and staticky. Voices boomed and shouted through the offices, and people bustled from place to place in other parts of the basement.

They’d been found out.

“ _ Shit! _ ” Levitan grabbed Akio’s wrist and bolted. 

Akio’s felt like he was going to be sick with fear. It was all he could do to listen to Levitan’s orders.

There were four more doors left in the hall labelled “Mutations”. The other hallways seemed to branch off into laboratories and more offices. Akio swept the card through the first door’s reader and Levitan tore it open.

The woman sitting on the bed leapt to her feet. Fluids dripped from her, running down her cheeks from her eyes, nose, and mouth. They stained her white jumpsuit and ran down to the floor.

“ _ We need to run! _ ” cried Levitan.

She wiped her chin on her wrist. “Y-you’re-”

“Your hero and saviour, I know! We have to  _ move! _ ”

Akio had already moved onto the next door. He quickly opened it, sweaty fingers fumbling with the plastic card. Pale skin, white-blonde hair, thin lips; the person inside looked perfectly normal. 

“We have to run!” he shouted. “They’re coming!”

The man was on his feet in an instant, mimicking Akio’s expression of terror. “We have to run! They’re coming!”

Akio was glad that he caught on so fast. He was vaguely aware of Levitan dragging the two mutants behind them as the two of them moved onto the next room.

Footsteps and shouts were coming from the other hallways. They were sure that these were the only mutants here. All the other rooms must be laboratories.

His stomach twisted when he saw a young boy sitting in the room alone. His skin was dark and his hair was black and curly, and he looked completely and utterly terrified. He clutched the pillow to his chest.

“We’re here to help you!” he said, realizing that he must look terrifying. His front was covered in blood. “Come with us!”

The boy lowered the pillow hesitantly. “Is Levitan gonna protect me, Dr. Sato?”

Akio was too terrified to find the fact that this kid knew their names to be disconcerting. “Yes, we both will! Let’s go!”

“W-where’s my brother?”

The shouts were getting louder. Alarms blared from somewhere in the facility. “I don’t know! We’ll find him, let’s go!”

The boy ran over

“ _ Hand me the card! _ ” Levitan snatched it from Akio’s hands and opened the cell next to the boy’s. The apparent twin brother dashed out and grabbed his sibling’s hand.

There were six of them in the hallway. It was time to get out of there.

“Everybody stick together!” Levitan roared. “Stay behind me! Don’t let them separate us!”

Akio slipped to the back of the group to pick up the rear and keep the twins moving. They were a little bit slower than the adults, and their feet stumbled over each other.

They sprinted down the hallway. They passed by the previously opened cells, and there were exclamations of horror and disgust at the bloody mess that was the mutant who’d tried to kill Akio.

Akio looked down at his shoulder. It had completely healed.

His sneaker skidded on the blood. 

They neared the end of the hallway. They could see the exit, see the stairs they had to run up to rejoin the group. There were only one or two guards at the Monsoon LA facility, and right now they stood before the six of them, guns levelled at Levitan’s head.

“ _ Hands in the air! _ ” the first one cried.

“Don’t make us shoot you!” shouted the second.

Levitan stopped dead. Akio could almost see their mind reeling a mile a minute, attempting to figure out how to best protect them. They drew their weapon.

Akio moved slowly to the front of the group, to act as a shield in case a bullet went haywire. He inched forwards, trying not to provoke the guards.

“Who are  _ you _ ,” said Levitan, aiming their weapon. “To tell  _ me  _ what to do?”

The guards shared a look of terror.

“Is that…?” asked the first guard.

“I think it’s…” said the second.

“If the next word outta your mouth is “ _ Seventeen _ ”, I’m fuckin’ blowin’ your brains out.” They had their finger on the trigger.

Akio was now standing right beside them, steel baseball bat in his hand. He felt a strange pull, like it was suddenly much heavier than it had been before. Except, strangely, the pull wasn’t downwards. It was forwards.

He looked down at the twins who were cowering behind him. One of them had his brow furrowed in deep concentration. He was staring at the bat.

The bat flew from Akio’s hand and whizzed across the hallway at the two guards. It cracked into their skulls before it stuck to the metal pipe behind them with a bang.

Levitan didn’t waste any time thinking about it. They bolted again, a gun in each hand. Akio once again slipped to the back of the group to make sure nobody got left behind. All had had now was his knife.

His muscles burned as he ran. He wasn’t as much scared anymore as he was… excited.

They were gonna make it.

They sprinted up the concrete steps. Hawke wasn’t at the top, as per instruction should they be found. He should have hopefully regrouped with James and started back towards the apartment. Levitan led them through the offices. 

Now that they were upstairs, they could hear the sirens. They were close.

Levitan burst through the front door and grabbed the hands of the two nearest mutants, the woman with the tears running down her face, and the man who seemed very normal. “We ain’t outta the heavy weather, yet! Let’s  _ move! _ ”

They started to sprint back towards the direction of the apartment.

Akio heard different sirens. They sounded like… fire alarms?

He looked up at the buildings.

“ _ Lev! _ ” he yelled.

“ _ What? _ ” They snapped, looking over their shoulder.

He pointed upwards. “Look!”

Levitan’s jaw dropped. Yellow and orange flames glowed brightly against the dark night sky. An apartment building in the distance was ablaze.

“Is that-” they started.

“ _ Yes! _ ” James shouted as he and Hawke barrelled past them, the two other mutants in tow. Ryan ran along behind them. 

“We have to move to the safe house!” said Hawke. “They found the apartment!”

“ _ Fuck! _ ” shouted Levitan. They turned on their heel and reclaimed their place at the front of the group.

“Heya, Lev!” said Ryan, jogging along beside. “Beautiful night, huh?”

“I ought’a  _ smack  _ you into next week!” snarled Levitan. “ _ Why didn’t you listen to me? _ ”

“So, considering that I’m the one who  _ warned you they were coming, _ ” said Ryan, panting as he tried to keep up with Levitan’s massive strides. “You  _ still  _ would have preferred that I stay at home good, quiet, and safe?”

“ _ Yes! _ ” said Levitan, stowing their guns. “I don’t want you  _ anywhere  _ near this mess!”

“ _ But- _ ”

“ _ It’s my job to protect you! _ ” they growled. “ _ If I can’t do that, I’ll never forgive myself! _ ”

“Good thing this isn’t  _ about  _ you!” he snapped in reply.

The sirens were so, so close.

They were right on their heels.

Two white vans screeched to a halt right beside them. The doors burst open with enough force to tear the hinges, and people in black riot gear began to file out.

The mutants all stopped dead. Each one of them was petrified with fear. Each one of them was terrified of getting captured.

“ _ Subject Seventeen! _ ” said a voice through a megaphone that was attached to the roof of one of the blue and white vans. “ _ We demand that you release Dr. Sato! _ ”

Akio’s heart jumped straight into his throat. Levitan looked over at Akio, wide-eyed, then turned back to the Monsoon guards with a deliberately cocky smirk on their face.

“Oh?” they said. “What if he doesn’t wanna go?”

“ _ Impossible! _ ” they said through the megaphone. “ _ You’ve kidnapped him! Release him immediately or we’ll open fire! _ ”

“ _ Eat a dick, you fascist assholes! _ ” shouted a voice that Levitan was pretty sure wasn’t theirs. They glanced behind them to see Akio standing at the back of the group, the knife they gave him in one hand, the other raised in a middle finger.

His shirt was ruined, torn and bloody. Sweat ran down his forehead and soaked into his clothes. His glasses, still cracked from before, sat crookedly on his sweaty nose. He was scowling and his teeth were bared in a snarl. He looked angry, and he looked mean.

“ _ Dr. Sato, come to your senses! _ ” said the voice. “ _ Step away from the Subjects. We will take care of you. _ ”

“I said  _ eat a dick! _ ”

“Separate Dr. Sato from the Subjects,” commanded one of the guards to his men. “Be careful around Seventeen!”

The freed mutants let out squeals and shouts of terror as the guards started to march upon them, forcing them back off the street and into the alleyway. Hawke and Levitan stepped to the front of the group, followed close behind by Ryan. James pulled the six rescued mutants back from the fighting, pursued by guards. Akio stayed with them, knife at the ready.

There were thirty guards in all.

Hawke’s metallic arm clicked and whirred, and the red-hot blade appeared once again. It stabbed easily into the shield of the riot gear, tearing it away from the hands of the guard. Hawke’s other hand came up and delivered a punch to his jaw, sending him flying backwards into two others.

Ryan had a tire iron that was  _ fairly  _ effective at bashing into the helmeted heads of the guards. He got in two good blows, taking plenty of bruises in the process and sending a guard to his knees. He kicked the helmet off and brought the tire iron down one last time. 

Two taser probes shot from the gun of another guard, right into Ryan’s chest. He screeched and doubled over in agony, falling to the ground when the current coursed through his heart.

“ _ Ryan! _ ”

Levitan’s bullets were precise, no misses. They shot the guard who’d hurt their baby, right through the throat, then dropped to the dirt next to Ryan.

“ _ Are you okay? _ ” they asked, pulling the probes from his chest.

“I-I-I-I’m fine,” he stammered. He twitched, his limbs spasming involuntarily.

Levitan heaved Ryan to his feet. James was by their side in an instant and pulled Ryan away from the guards that were advancing on them.

“ _ Let me go! _ ” he shouted, kicking uselessly. His limbs were limp and didn’t cooperate. “I need to help!”

James had his other hand on his gun, and he shot two bullets at a guard who tried to pursue them. One of them caught his knee and he went down. Levitan kicked off his helmet and blasted his brains out.

“ _ Lev! _ ” shouted James from where he was supporting Ryan. “We have to go!”

More sirens were approaching.

The guards were circling the mutants, forcing them into the back alley. Akio pushed his way to the front to help fight, or at least defend the other mutants with his own body.

“Someone, grab Dr. Sato!” came a voice from the guards.

The sirens were getting louder.

“We can’t fight them off!” yelled James. “More are coming!”

Levitan growled when they realized he was right. They were running out of bullets.

Hawke lashed out with his arm and threw three guards back against the van with a bang, but they were on their feet in an instant. One took a shot, and it whizzed past Hawke’s shoulder, skimming his arm and opening a cut that bled into his shirt. Another show two rounds that lodged firmly into Levitan’s torso, but their knees did not buckle. Hey returned fire, but their bullets were deflected off of their helmets.

They weren’t picking them off fast enough. Fatigue dragged at Levitan’s limbs.

The other guards were advancing on the mutants that were crowded into the alleyway. Akio stood in front of them, knife at the ready.

“ _ Hands in the air! _ ” one of them demanded. “Dr. Sato, step away from-”

“ _ Fuck you! _ ” he yelled, standing at the front of the group. James and Ryan were behind him.

Ryan was standing on his own. James quickly tossed him a gun and the two of them fired at the guards who were crowding in closer. Both of their shots hit their marks and they went down, but a few more bullets came from the guards in return. Two missed, one grazed the woman with the strange skin, and one struck Akio firmly in the chest.

Akio staggered, but he remained on his feet.

“ _ We’re outnumbered! _ ” shouted Hawke.

“Fuck it, we have to run!” growled Levitan. They fell back, standing in front of the group of freed mutants, pushing them back into the alley.

“ _ Run! _ ” yelled James. He fired two more rounds, pegged two more guards. More were on the way, they could hear the sirens still.

Akio staunched the bleeding on his chest, but the Monsoon guards were shocked that he didn’t fall.

“ _ Retrieve Dr. Sato! _ ” came the voice through the megaphone. “ _ He’s one of them! _ ”

The mutants were rushing down the alleyway, fleeing the scene. Akio took a few steps to follow, but the bullets were whizzing by. There were cries of pain as Hawke was struck in the shoulder, James took a bullet to his thigh, and even Ryan took one, which made Levitan snarl with rage.

Akio took  _ five _ . Three in his shoulders, one in his upper arm, and one in his thigh. Nonfatal wounds, but the agony ripped through him so fiercely he couldn’t find the voice to scream. If he hadn’t been in the way, the bullets would have hit the twins. 

His knees buckled, and he fell to the concrete. His glasses flew from his face and skittered away across the bloody pavement. He knew he wouldn’t die from these wounds, even though normal people should, but he wasn’t able to walk. His vision was blurred, but he could see the mutants running down the alleyway, Levitan picking up the rear.

They were far away, and they had an escape route. They were gonna make it.

Two pairs of hands roughly grabbed his upper arms. He was hauled to his feet, and his shirt was lifted to examine the wound in his chest. He couldn’t see it, but he knew that the skin must be stitching itself up. He wondered whether his body would expel the bullet, or whether it would have to be dug out.

A gloved hand grabbed his jaw and he found himself staring at the plastic face-shield of a Monsoon guard.

“Sunnova bitch, you were one o’ them all along,” the guard said, voice quiet with wonder. “Take him away!”

“ _ LET ME GO! _ ” he shrieked, attempting to lash out with the knife he was still holding. He managed to get one slice at a guard’s shoulders before it was knocked from his grip. His hands were cuffed behind his back. He was being wrestled towards one of the white vans.

“ _ Akio! _ ”

He craned his neck. Levitan stood at the end of the alleyway, he could barely make out their shape.

“ _ RUN! _ ” he screamed. “ _ GET AWAY! KEEP THEM SAFE! _ ”

His arm was twisted painfully for that. “Shut the hell up,  _ mutant! _ ”

Akio refused to listen. Levitan still stood there. “ _ FORGET ABOUT ME! RUN! _ ”

He was shoved into the van. Five guards climbed in with him, two holding him by the shoulders. Before the door slammed shut, he heard Levitan screaming, heard the bullets firing towards them.

The door was closed, cutting off Levitan’s voice. It was dark. The van drove off. The sirens were silent.

The blood stained and soaked his clothes. His chest had stopped bleeding, the wound having sealed itself with the bullet still inside of him. He had no idea where he was going, but he knew it wasn’t gonna be anywhere nearby. He trembled, eyes watering, and tried not to pass out.

He was terrified.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eeee the tension! Comments will make me scream with joy, thank you kindly!


	26. Give Them Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levitan goes on a rampage. They find the safe-house. Where's Akio?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: blood, violence, body horror, PTSD symptoms, references to torture.

Levitan was rooted in place. They couldn’t move. They couldn’t process what they were seeing. Akio was being shoved into the white and blue van. Cold sweat poured down their back.

“ _ Forget about me! Run! _ ” he yelled. His voice was distant, and the door slammed down on his words, cutting them short.

That snapped them out of it. Levitan’s pulse was racing. “ _ GET AWAY FROM HIM! _ ” they roared. 

Hands grabbed at their arms and shoulders, trying to drag them back.

“Levitan, it’s too late!” said James, clutching the back of their jacket. “We have to run!”

“ _ AKIO, I’M COMING FOR YOU! _ ” they screamed, dragging the people clinging to them forward with each step, even though the others dug their heels into the dirt. “ _ I’LL FIND YOU! I WILL! _ ”

“More are coming!” said Hawke, clamping his metal hand over Levitan’s wrist. “We can’t stay here.”

The van containing Akio drove away. Levitan still fought against the hands that held them. They could still catch up, they could still save him.

“Lev, we have to go!” Ryan clung to their arm, wide-eyed.

Without thinking, they lashed out and dug their elbow into his ribs. They could still catch the van. They could still save him. They had to.

Ryan groaned and doubled over in pain. “ _ Lev, quit it! You’re hurting me! _ ”

Shit. Levitan paused. They looked down at their son. He held onto their arm with both of his. A bruise was blooming on his cheek. Had they caused that, too? 

Levitan forced their shoulders to relax. “Fuck, Ryan, I’m-”

“ _ There they are! _ ”

A bullet entered Levitan’s chest.

The sharp burst of pain made something snap. They ripped their arms out of the hands of their friends, Ryan gave a scream of pain as his arm was broken.

They didn’t hear it.

“ _ Run! _ ” James grabbed Ryan and pulled him away, back to guard the other mutants.

“But Lev-” he started, holding his broken arm.

“Is  _ dangerous. _ We have to leave them.”

“But-”

Ryan watched helplessly as Levitan took a brick and smashed it into the face of a Monsoon guard. He was  _ pulverized _ , he crumpled, then Levitan grabbed onto his friend, ripped the helmet from his head, and punched his face again and again and again, until he stopped moving and dropped to the ground as well. Another one approached, fired her weapon at Levitan, but the bullet missed. Levitan knocked the gun away, grabbed her throat, wrapped their hands around her neck, and throttled her.

They had two perfectly good guns at their hips.

Levitan was in a blind, terrified rage. Their vision swam sickly before them, how many guards were there? Ten? Twenty? A hundred? They had no idea. The walls of the alley bent and swerved around them, it was all they could do to keep on their feet.

They dug their fingers into a guard’s eye sockets and pulled out their eyes. He screamed, fell, and they kicked him aside. They flicked the eyeballs away.

The guards tried to shoot them, but Levitan was already in agony. Nothing would be able to add to it. The bullets sank into their body, ruining their jacket, but they didn’t stagger and they didn’t fall, even though the world was pitching so much that they felt like they were on a ship out in rough seas. They picked up a lead pipe and swung it wildly, catching two guards in the head and sending them backwards.

Another van pulled up, the sirens shut off. More people poured out and approached, weapons at the ready.

It didn’t matter to Levitan. Ten, twenty, or a hundred, they were all going to die. Each and every one of them must suffer a painful death at their hands. They must pay for what they’ve done to them, what they’ve done to mutants everywhere.

What they’ve done to Akio.

They weren’t aware of the voices trying to call them back. They weren’t aware of the voices of the guards screaming in agony or shouting that, “ _ Holy, fuck! It’s true! Seventeen can’t die! _ ”

All they could hear was the blood roaring in their ears.

The guards surrounded them on all sides. There was the pinch of taser probes, but Levitan ripped them away from their body while the current was still going through them, growling at the shock that went up their arm. They twitched, but they remained on their feet.

All they could see was red.

They couldn’t bring themself to dodge any blows or bullets, they just bore them as they came. They pushed through the guards, taking them down one by one with their bare hands. They seized a heavy baton from a corpse. They bludgeoned three more to death before it broke in their hands and they tossed it aside.

All they could taste was the salty and metallic flavour of blood.

Their knuckles were sliced open, blood was splattered over their entire body, and their eyes were wide and wild. Flesh was embedded under their nails. They relished the look of fear in the guard’s eyes as they snapped his neck and let his corpse drop to join his brethren on the ground.

All they could smell was filth and fear.

Some of the guards had broken away from the main group to escape, and as they did so more followed. They were in retreat. They couldn’t take down Seventeen.

Levitan wasn’t having any of that. They couldn’t formulate words to challenge them with, but they pelted after them as they tried to file back into the van.

The door slammed shut before they could get there. They punched the side of the van. It dented under their fist.

“ _ Holy fuck! _ ” came the voices inside. 

Levitan punched through the glass of the driver’s window, shoved their fingers into the throat of the driver, and latched their grip around his trachea. With very little effort, they pulled it from his neck.

All they could feel was guilt and pain.

The guards were screaming, now. The tires of the other van squealed as it drove off in a hurry, but Levitan didn’t hear it. They were laser-focussed on tearing everyone in this van to shreds.

They climbed through the window of the van.

Ryan watched in horror from back in the alleyway. He saw the van bumping on its shocks, heard the horrible screams from inside. He saw the blood that coated the alleyway, splattering on the ground and up the brick walls. He saw the bodies, some of which were still twitching, some of which had been mutilated beyond recognition. Worst of all, he saw that some of the people hadn’t even been killed, just maimed beyond repair. They groaned and tried to drag themselves away, but either their legs were broken, they were blinded or their arms were useless.

He noticed a human hand on the ground next to him. He couldn’t force himself to step away.

With one last bang, the van stopped moving.

It was quiet. There were no more sirens. Ryan ignored the hissed whispers of James and Hawke telling him to run and hide from Lev.

He snapped the bone in his arm back in place and cradled it to his chest. It would heal. It would be okay.

The door to the van slowly opened. Levitan stepped out. The inside of the van was dark, but Ryan could see the bodies. Or rather, he could see the parts of them. They were no longer intact.

Blood and viscera were caked onto almost every inch of Levitan’s body. Their favourite jacket was ruined beyond repair, stained red and penetrated with what must be a hundred bullet holes. Their boots left bloody footprints on the pavement.

They were shaking.

Ryan saw them bend down and retrieve something from the ground. They dragged themself up the alleyway, stepping over the pile of corpses. They raised their head and slowly looked Ryan over.

Levitan was holding something in their hands. When they stepped closer, Ryan realized that they were holding Akio’s glasses.

Ryan couldn’t say a word. He wanted to do a hundred things. He wanted to scream at Levitan, be horrified by their actions, and force them to apologize. He wanted to punch them, hate them for breaking his arm. He wanted to pull them into a hug and pray that they would be okay.

Levitan tore their gaze away from him. “We have to run. The police will find us if Monsoon doesn’t, first.”

They walked by, eyes glued on the ground.

Ryan jogged up to them. “L-Lev?”

They didn’t look at him. They didn’t reply.

Levitan fell into step behind Hawke, who took the lead to the safe house. Ryan reached out to touch his parent.

James grabbed his hand. “Don’t.”

Ryan looked at him, pained. “But-”

James shook his head. He lowered his voice so Levitan couldn’t hear and said, “I’ve seen them act like that once before. I hoped I’d never see it again.”

Ryan yanked his hand away from James. “I just want to-”

“Leave them alone. Trust me.” He pulled aside his shirt collar. There was a cluster of three eyes at the base of his neck that had scars around them. They stared vacantly into space, like the eyes on his face did. “They don’t mean to do it, but people can still hurt the ones they care about when they’re afraid. Just because it was an accident, doesn’t mean it’s okay.”

Ryan lowered his gaze.

They walked silently through the streets of Los Angeles.

 

The safe house was at the edge of town. It was a small bomb shelter that had been utilized by mutants during the 80s, but had been abandoned for quite some time. Dust covered every surface, the shelves were stocked with canned goods, and there were still old calendars on the walls. It Levitan still hadn’t said a single word.

Naomi, Dana, and Tanner were already there. Naomi had been trying to fix the stove, while Dana and Tanner sat on one of the dusty beds.

“ _ You’re okay! _ ” Naomi threw herself at Hawke and wrapped all four arms around him. He grunted in pain and she pulled away. She craned her head around and saw the bullet wound in his shoulder. “You’ve been shot!”

“He’s not the only one,” said James, leaning his weight on his good leg.

“Where’s Olivia?” asked Hawke.

Naomi was quiet. She looked away. “She… she sacrificed herself to save us.”

James sighed and put his face in his hands. “I can’t believe it…”

“Where’s Akio?” asked Dana, getting slowly to her feet.

“He’s gone!” snapped Levitan, startling the freed mutants who were standing next to them. They slammed the door shut behind them and dropped heavily into the closest chair. “I bet y’all are happy, now that he’s gone. You were all so eager to get rid of ‘im, and now he’s gone for good. Taken by those  _ bastards! _ ” They slammed their fist down onto the table. Nobody dared to come near them. “ _ Fuck! _ ”

“W-what happened?” asked Naomi, taking in the blood that was drying on Levitan’s skin and clothes.

“We got everybody out,” said James, gesturing to the six mutants that they had rescued. “Monsoon knew we were coming, or found out somehow.”

“It’s my fault,” said Levitan, hands over their face. “It’s my fault, it’s all my fault. They must have found the body, I just left it lying there. If I’d bothered to hide that body, we would’a had more time. We could’a gotten away clean.”

Nobody said anything to that.

“They probably took him to New York,” said James. “That’s where the newest stuff is.”

Levitan’s breath was shaky. “Yeah. New York.”

“He said not to go after him,” said James tentatively.

“ _ Fuck that! _ ” Levitan bolted to their feet and started pacing, hands shoved deep into their pockets. “I made him a promise.”

“... A promise not to go after him?”

“I said that I was coming for him,” said Levitan, eyes fixed on the ground as they paced back and forth in the tiny safe house room. “I said I would protect him, and I failed. Fuck. I have to go after him, I can’t break that promise, too.”

Nobody said anything.

Naomi looked to James for guidance. “What should we do?”

“We should sleep,” he said. “We should wash up, and rest. We won’t be able to hide here for long, they’ll be combing the city for us.”

“I don’t need to sleep,” said Levitan, dropping themself back down into the chair. It was now stained with the blood from their clothes. “Somebody get me a pen.”

“No,” said James. “Levitan, go wash your face. You’re covered in blood.”

“ _ Fuck you, James! You don’t know what’s good for me! _ ”

James gestured with his hand to shoo everybody from the room. “Naomi, go set up the ones who were freed. They’ve had a long day.”

Naomi gave a nod. “Alright.” She offered her hands to the twins, and they each took one. She used the other two to close the door behind them.

Dana grabbed Tanner and pulled him into a separate room. They left the big duffel bag on the ground.

Ryan wanted to go with them, but he decided to stay. He sat at the table across from Levitan, keeping his mouth shut.

“How’s your arm?” asked James.

“It’s okay,” he said, flexing his fingers. “I think I set the bone right.”

“What’re you talking about?” demanded Levitan.

“You… broke my arm,” said Ryan. “When you pulled away from me. After you were shot.”

The guilt was written plainly on Levitan’s face. Ryan hated that expression. They looked so… helpless. Vulnerable. That’s not what Levitan was supposed to be like. Levitan was in control, they were confident, and they always had a plan. Levitan was  _ not  _ helpless, vulnerable, afraid, or clueless. That’s  _ not  _ how they were supposed to be.

“I’m sorry,” they said, their voice small. “I didn’t… notice.”

Ryan opened his mouth, but James laid a heavy hand on his shoulder.

“We succeeded,” he reminded the two of them. “We freed the mutants. The police will be investigating the area when the bodies are discovered, they’re bound to find Monsoon.”

Levitan nodded. “Right. Nothin’ will come of it, ‘cause almost all the judges in the country are in the pockets of that corporation, but… we freed six people, at the cost of two.” They rubbed their eyes. “Fuck.”

“Levitan, can you do something?” asked James, his voice level and soft. He kept a respectful distance from them.

“What?” they snapped, but it was less vicious than before.

“Go into the bathroom, wash up, change into some fresh clothes, and go to sleep. Even if you don’t sleep, you should lie down.”

There was a little clink. A bullet fell from Levitan’s shoulder and rolled away across the floor.

“I’ll think about it,” they said.

“Here.” James rummaged through the piles of stuff on one of the shelves and produced a notepad and a pen. “In case you can’t sleep.”

Levitan didn’t take the items when he held them out. He left them on the table. 

They glanced up at Ryan. “Go to bed.”

Ryan shook his head. “ _ No. _ ”

Levitan clenched their fist. They fought to keep the volume of their voice low and steady. “ _ Go. To. Bed. _ ”

Ryan reluctantly stood. He and James left the room, unable to look away from Levitan until they were out of sight.

Levitan let out a breath. They took off their jacket, hung it on the back of their chair, and went to wash their face in the kitchen sink.

They caught a glimpse of themself in the mirror stuck to the side of the ancient refrigerator. They looked… awful. Blood matted their short blonde hair, their silver eyes were afraid, and the scar on their nose looked deeper than ever.

They dug through the duffel bag and produced a clean pair of clothes. They put on the jeans, but when they tried to put on the shirt, they realized it was too small. They looked at it closely and realized that it was that stupid “ _ Welcome to the Nut Shack _ ” shirt that they’d forced Akio to wear in the beginning, way back when things were different.

Levitan dropped the shirt as though it had burned them. They found one of their shirts, careful not to touch Akio’s old shirt while they searched, pulled it on, and went to sit at the kitchen table.

From the pocket of their jacket, they produced Akio’s glasses. Square frames, slightly on the cheap side. They had a tiny chip in the top corner and they looked like they had seen better days. They set them on the table before them, picked up the pen, and drew the pad of paper towards them. 

They stared at the pen in their hand. They had to think of a plan. They had to. They couldn’t leave him in there, they would never do that to him. They had to break him out. They had to.

After an hour of scribbling down ideas and crossing them out, they fell asleep bent over the kitchen table. They dreamed of white walls, blood, and screams.

They woke an hour later to start the cycle again. The pen scribbled on the pad of paper, and that was the only sound in the safe house.

 

The next few hours were a blur to Akio. He’d been in a helicopter, locked in what appeared to be some kind of crate that, no matter how hard he pounded his bound fists against it, it refused to budge or even tip over. The crate had been lifted, tilted back, and wheeled away. It had been put on a truck.

It was slightly too small to kneel in, and just short enough that he couldn’t stand up properly. His watch was smashed, so he had no idea how much timed had passed.

He could hear voices around him, and felt sick when he realized they were somewhat familiar. He was back in New York.

Oh god. Had the others gotten away? He didn’t hear any of the other mutants, and he’d been yelling his lungs out until his throat couldn’t take any more. He would have heard them, right?

The crate was finally set down. The front was removed with a crowbar, and he shielded his eyes from the blinding light.

He recognized the walls, and he recognized a few of the faces that looked at him.

“Well, Dr. Sato,” said the apparent leader. He recognized him immediately. It was Dr. Roche, the man who had given him his first tour of the facility. 

“What a surprise,” he said. “Astounding to think that you were able to assimilate into our midst so well. I suppose it was your plan to break Seventeen out, all along?”

“Where are they?” he demanded, stepping from his crate. He stretched his legs and tried to pry his wrists apart, but it was useless. He could never break the bonds. He wasn’t Levitan.

“I’m sure you’ll be relieved to know that we have no idea,” he replied.

Akio let out a breath. He tilted his head back, and it took every ounce of control not to cry, “ _ oh thank god! _ ”

“We have a lot of questions for you,” said Dr. Roche, “but first, there are some things we need to do.”

Akio was handed a white jumpsuit. The fabric felt strange and tacky on his fingers.

“Henceforth, we will address you as Subject Two-Seven-One-Seven,” he said. “There is no point in attempting to befriend us, even those of us you may have once befriended. We will attempt to discover what makes you extraordinary. Your physicality, your abilities, your limitations. We will also be questioning you about the whereabouts of your… colleagues? I suppose that’s the right word for them.”

“Go to hell,” he snarled.

“I see that Seventeen has rubbed off on you,” said Dr. Roche appraisingly. He took a step closer to Akio, as if he wanted to force him back into the crate. “Tell me, are you going to try and disfigure our employees, too? Will you pull our eyes out, bite our fingers off, or gouge our skin with your nails? Or are you going to be civil?”

Akio spat.

The spittle flecked across Dr. Roche’s cheeks. He didn’t flinch, but he did raise his hand and wipe away the saliva with his sleeve. He appeared to be almost amused.

“I see,” said Dr. Roche. “Take him to the showers.”

Akio’s upper arms were grabbed by two other scientists, one he thought he recognized, one he didn’t. His vision was blurry. He struggled, tried to fight them off, tossed away the jumpsuit that had been handed to him, but he was exhausted.

“Oh, one more thing.”

Dr. Roche placed a pair of glasses on Akio’s nose. They were round and they were a little big.

“If you smash those, you won’t get another pair,” said Dr. Roche. “If you are civil, we may provide you with books to read. If you are not… Well, you saw what Seventeen’s quarters were like.”

Akio growled. He was dragged away, deliberately dragging his feet so the scientists had to struggle to take him down the hall.

He knew now that he wasn’t going to escape Monsoon. He wasn’t smart enough or strong enough to do that. He wasn’t like Levitan. He would never be able to smooth talk his way out, pull some clever trick to escape, or force his way through with brute strength. He wasn’t like them. 

He told Levitan not to come for him, and he prayed that they would listen. It was better that way. He was sure about that. It was better that he was here. It was better that he was a prisoner and that they were free.

He might not ever be free again, but he wasn’t going to go quietly into this good night, either. He was going to bite and kick and scream and spit. He was going to encourage other mutants to fight too, make them fight just as hard as he was. He was going to give the laboratories false information, he was going to lie to them, and he was going to claw for freedom at every chance he got.

Akio was going to give them hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... THE END?
> 
> Very much thanks to bloodsweettooth for all of the amazing ideas that he provided me with, all the encouragement, and basically helping me with mostly anything I needed. You da man.
> 
> If you made it to the end, a comment would be much appreciated! Thank you so much for your time. It means a lot to me.
> 
> Who knows what I'll do with this?


End file.
